Til' Hell Starts To Freeze
by thePhonyOversized
Summary: I've been through Tartarus to get where I am now, literally & figuratively, and I've NEVER regretted my decision to become a Hunter. But something's been bugging me recently, something I THINK has to do with that weird Hermes kid.
1. I Go Back To Camp

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS  
**

**A/N: okay so this is my first actual fic using real characters from a story, so I`m sorry if it isn`t that good. this story`s written in Thalia`s pov, and I tried my best to avoid any OOC lines with the characters, but I`m still worried about some of them. I hope I wrote as Thalia well. nothing much happens in the first chapter, it`s pretty much all just an intro to everything. The story takes place after TLO. I planned a lot of the story out, but I still don`t know how it`s going to go. Review please! I`d really love to see your comments, and also ways in how I can improve... also, sorry if the intro & the story itself is kinda long. I guess I`m just really nervous. Anyway, enjoy! (also thank you to tsubasa95 and 1215rascal for all the support! I love you guys!)**

I Go Back To Camp

If you're reading this right now, then that means you're still alive. I seriously hope you're living a great life right now, with a family, your best friends, and just a happy, ordinary life. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I'm dead right now. I can't die, I made a deal with some people and now I'll, ideally, live for eternity. It's a really long story. I'll get to that later. But going back to that "still being alive" thing, I was just saying that if you're reading this then you _should_ be alive.

And just because you were able to get your hands on this, that probably also means you're a demigod—that's alive. Great, then you're just like me. At least I know we have something in common. So scratch that part about the ordinary life thing, since being a demigod, ordinary just isn't in our vocabulary.

If you're wondering why I hoped you were living a happy life, it's because I just wish someone, somewhere out there, is having the time of their life, because I sure as Tartarus am not. So, since you're having the time of your life, reading this won't bring you down all that much. But if you feel like you're part of the walking dead right now, then I'm sorry for you. But you have no idea how much death can suck, I have a friend who knows all about that, so I should know.

So right now I'm just sitting around, with a bow in my hand and my special canister that expands into a spear just beside me. I also have my Aegis shield hidden in a bracelet with me. I'm staring up at the sky, the moon, which is also the symbol of my lady, Artemis. I see the moon shining brighter and I know what's going to happen next. I grab my canister and place it in my pocket and stand up. I feel a tear slide down my cheek as I walk towards the forest. Thunder roared in the distance. I shake off the tears and run faster now, trying to disappear into the night.

My name is Thalia Grace. And this is my story.

* * *

I woke up that day with a big smile on my face. Today was the 10th anniversary of "Hekatambaion Day", or simply just "H-day" as some people call it. H-day was the day in August when Camp Half-Blood celebrated the overthrowing of Kronos and the whole world being saved from a New Golden Age. The name came from the old Greek calendar where July to August was called "Hekatambaion", and also, in Ancient Greece, they celebrated a similar holiday called "Kronia" which is a day where they celebrated Kronos, but H-day celebrated Kronos' defeat.

H-day is also when I, along with the Hunters, visit Camp Half-Blood to celebrate along with the other campers. This was the day I would get to see my old friends again. And since it was the 10th anniversary, it had to be extra special this year. I jumped up from my sleeping bag and ran out of the tent. I was welcomed by a beautiful day. The sun was shining, there were just a few fluffy clouds in sight, and there was a refreshing breeze. Today was the perfect day for a holiday.

I ran back inside the tent to wake up the other hunters. They grumbled, shooing me away, saying that they would sleep for just a few minutes more, but I was persistent. Lady Artemis was off on another mission, and I was in charge.

"Girls, wake up! It's H-day! It's finally here! We've gotta get to Camp Half-Blood _now_!" I shouted.

They all, finally, got up, but they walked around sluggishly. They obviously weren't as excited to go back to Camp Half-Blood as I was. Actually, they probably weren't excited at all. Even if campers and hunters joined forces during the war to defeat Kronos and his army, the animosity between them still managed to survive. Maybe it's because the campers _still_ can't beat us in "Capture the Flag"? I thought about it for a while and then I just didn't care. I just wanted to get our butts to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible.

* * *

Being hunters, we traveled by foot. We sprinted all the way to Long Island, where Camp Half-Blood sat, hidden by the mist as a strawberry ranch. We stopped running when we reached my pine tree, where we stopped to take a break. I saw the Golden Fleece just hanging on the branch, and I petted Peleus the dragon, who helped protect my tree. I looked at my hunters and they stood up and nodded. We walked through Half-Blood Hill and entered campgrounds.

I felt my jaw drop when we entered the camp. It changed so much in _just_ one year. All the campers were busy working on decorations for each of their cabins (each had a different theme, but all of them were beautiful and just... wow), but they stopped and smiled at me as they passed by. I smiled back at them. I walked around for a while, I was in complete awe. I looked back at the others and they didn't even try to hide their amazement. The hunters were all wide-eyed and they looked around excitedly, kind of like little kids in a theme park. But hey, I bet I looked that way too.

I looked around some more, but this time to find some familiar faces. But I couldn't find any. There were a lot more campers, way more than when I was in Camp Half-Blood, and even just a year ago. I guess more and more gods were claiming their children now. I guess I should've seen that coming, since Percy had that whole deal with my dad when they defeated Kronos and stuff.

Oh yeah, by the way, my dad's Zeus, King of the Gods, ruler of the sky.

I continued to walk around and I seriously couldn't find anyone. All the campers smiled at me, they probably all knew who I was, but I couldn't find anyone _I_ knew. Then I hear familiar galloping sounds behind me. I turn around and smiled. Finally.

"Chiron," I said.

"Thalia! Good to see you again! Welcome back to Camp Half-Blood," he said as he gave me a big hug. Chiron was in charge of the camp, training all the campers, and pretty much every other job Mr. D (aka Dionysus, the wine god) didn't want to do. He is like a thousand years old and he trained heroes like Hercules. And he's also a Centaur, which means he's half man half horse. But sometimes, when he has to, he sits in this wheelchair to hide his being a centaur (that is, his half-horse side). That's how a lot of the campers first meet him. You should see their faces when they see how he _really_ looks like. Their reactions are priceless.

"So, you get any new campers?" I said sarcastically.

He laughed and looked around, "Why don't you tell me?"

"This place just looks really different from the last time I was here."

"Well since a lot of demigods have been popping up constantly, we've had to do a few renovations."

"A _few_? The Hermes cabin looks like a supermarket!" I pointed at the beig house that had a blinking sign that read "HERMES".

"With the trouble those children are causing, I'm guessing it _is_ a supermarket," he chuckled.

"Where are the others?"

"I'm not sure, I've just had to manage so many campers today. But I saw them last at the Big House, making preparations for the big event."

"The Big House… right… why didn't I think of that?" I hit myself in the head lightly. "Thanks Chiron."

"No problem. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and make sure the Ares cabin hasn't set anything important on fire _again_." He galloped away, waving.

I waved back, even if I knew he couldn't see me. I turned back to see my hunters scrambled around, exploring and admiring everything. I called out to Phoebe, one of my hunters. You could say she was my right-hand (wo)man.

"Phoebe!" I waved at her.

She was looking at the Hermes cabin wonderingly when I called out to her. When she noticed I was calling her, she ran to me.

"What's wrong, Thalia?"

"I have to go somewhere, so I'm leaving you in charge. Could you make sure the others don't wander off too far and make it to the cabin _safely_?" I ordered her, emphasizing the word "safely".

I knew she got what I meant as she nodded and ran off. "Safely" was a code we used whenever we were in Camp Half-Blood. It meant: get to the cabin _without_ getting into any kind of fight with the campers. For the most part, it went that way.

I watched my hunters for a while, making sure all of them were there when they reassembled and made their way to the cabin. When I was _sure_ they were going to be okay, I made my way to the Big House.

* * *

The Big House was a three-story house that stood somewhere in the middle of Camp Half-Blood, and this had to be the only part of the camp that had changed the _least_.

I walked through the big doors and walked into a big room with tables arranged in a sort of "U" formation, kind of like how the cabins were arranged before more cabins were built in honor of the minor gods. I remembered this is as the place where we used to hold important meetings between the cabin leaders. This was before I became a hunter and was just a daughter of Zeus. Wait, I mean THE daughter of Zeus, because I'm the only one left that's supposed to exist.

The room was big and empty. I tried looking around for anyone, but everywhere I went it just looked the same as when I entered. There weren't any places to hide, so if there were someone there I would've seen him or her right when I went in. Then I heard a familiar noise:

_"Blaa-haa-ha!"_

Then I turned around and saw Grover running towards me. I slowly stepped back and was planning to make a run for it, but it was too late because Grover had already tackled me.

"Holy Zeus! Grover, what do you think you're doing?" I shouted.

He stopped hugging me and stepped back, smiling, for some reason proud of what he had just done. "I was just so happy to see you again, Thalia. I mean… you're _alive!_" I smiled for a while then scowled again when I heard the last of his sentence.

"What do you mean _alive_? Of course I'm alive! What, you thought I _died_ or something! I'm immortal for gods sakes, goat-boy!"

"C'mon, Thalia. We all know you can die, even if you _are_ immortal," a voice teased from behind me.

Grover laughed.

I turned around to find a man with dark hair and green eyes that were as calm as the sea smirking as he looked down at me. He was wearing an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, jeans, and slippers. He had a pen with a piece of string tied to the tip hanging around his neck.

I smiled. "You haven't changed a bit, seaweed brain." I placed my hands on my hips.

"Well _you_ look the same, pinecone face." Percy laughed as he pulled me into a hug.

"Wait a minute," I said when we stopped hugging, "I looked everywhere, this room was completely empty. Where did you come from?"

He took a Yankees cap from his pocket and twirled it around his finger, "I heard you coming and wanted to surprise you, but Grover got to you first, even if I _was_ invisible."

I stuck my tongue out and teased, "You _are_ a seaweed brain."

He stuck his tongue out too, "Whatever!" Even if he was already an "adult", Percy Jackson was still a child, and he acted like one too.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked.

"She's probably with Rachael. They're both in charge of…" Percy paused for a moment and scratched his head, "…something." He grinned.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Well, do you know where they are?"

Percy remained silent. He looked at Grover who shrugged. Percy looked back at me and smiled.

"I'll just go look for them myself. Both of you are useless," I complained as I walked out.

"Well, if you find her, can you tell her I borrowed her cap for a while? Thanks!" Percy shouted out to me.

* * *

I found Annabeth and Rachel in the attic of the Big House, which for some reason, was the last place I chose to look. They were sitting on the floor in a lotus position, meditating.

"Hey guys!" I whispered as I climbed up the ladder leading to the attic.

Annabeth was the first to open her eyes. She squealed, "Thalia!" And she stood up (actually, she more of jumped up) from her lotus position and hugged me so tight I felt suffocated.

"I missed you too, but if you don't let go there won't be any more of me to miss," I said, my voice muffled and out of breath.

When she finally let go, I took in deep breaths and kept a bigger space between us.

"For how long will you be staying here this year?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but I hope not just for the weekend," I replied.

I peeked at Rachel who had just opened her eyes and slowly stood up from her lotus position. She walked over towards us.

"Hi Thalia, good to see you again," she greeted.

"Hey Rachel," I smiled back at her.

Annabeth and Rachel hadn't changed much from last year, but they changed so much from the first time I met them. Annabeth was taller than me now, though not by much, and her features matured. I mean, she still had her curly blond hair and the signature gray eyes of the Athena kids, but she was a woman now, as compared to me who will look fifteen forever. Rachel was pretty much the same way. Her red hair was wavier though, but it was still short, and her green eyes seemed wiser now somehow. They were both wearing the orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirts, but Rachel wore a dark gray jacket over hers. They were both in shorts and sneakers.

"What're you guys doing here?" I asked.

"We're meditating," Rachel said.

"Why?" I didn't mean for that to come out with disgust, it's just the way I talk.

"Because we've been stressed all day and we just wanted to relax for _just_ a bit before we got back to work. It's the 10th anniversary of H-day after all, we can't let anyone down," Annabeth explained.

"Yeah, every single camper down there is busy doing something. I feel really useless just lazing around like this," I said.

"You don't have to do anything, just sit back, relax, and wait for the show." Annabeth winked.

"Well, we have to get back to work. We'll see you around Thalia," Rachel said as she headed for a big pile in the attic.

"Bye, Thalia! let's catch up later," Annabeth said, following Rachel.

I went back down from the attic and walked around camp again. Every camper was walking around, not stopping for anything.

_Wow, they really are taking this seriously_. I thought. My eyes wandered over to the Hades cabin and it sent chills down my spine. I got goose bumps and I shivered. I shook my head and headed for the Artemis cabin. On the way there I saw the Zeus cabin, how even though no one was decorating it, it seemed to be the most prominent cabin of all. Or maybe I'm just a biased opinion since it's _my_ cabin. I walked over to the Zeus cabin and opened the door.

The decorations looked the same as I left it years ago. A _king_ (emphasize on the king) sized bed was in the middle of the room and it looked like a mini-throne. The ceiling of the cabin was decorated with paintings of Zeus, the sky, and his lightning bolts, and the pillars that stood on all four sides of the room were each carved with letters that spelled "ZEUS". Across the bed was a big mirror, the one I used whenever I needed to talk to my dad.

I looked at my reflection, how the same I looked from last year, and the year before that, and the 10 years before that. Beside the mirror, my old army jacket hung on a hook stuck to the wall. I got it and slipped it on, it still fit perfectly. I looked like the Thalia Grace who first made it to Camp Half-Blood all those years ago. Not that I could've changed that much anyway. Not like everyone else. They were all growing up… growing up without me.

**A/N: if you read until the end, then good job, seriously. I know it`s a bit long.. hehe. so, tell me what you think and REVIEW! thanks!**


	2. Nico Has An H Day Surprise

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: so I finally finished chapter two! I just have to say that I made two versions of this chapter, because of complications of and controversies between the characters that weren't originally in the plan, so yeah. I fried my brain thinking of a way to fix it, and luckily, I did, and in the process I was able to add a little twist in the story. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think, it would mean so much to me. Oh and I found out that I accidentally disabled anonymous reviews... I didn't mean to do that though, so yeah, I fixed it so you can now review even if you aren't logged in. hehehe. :D anyway, enjoy! (sorry if I have any typos and grammatical errors and stuff.)  
**

Nico Has An H-Day Surprise

Another problem with being a demigod is that whenever you dream, it's extremely vivid, you feel and hear everything, and there's a ninety-nine percent chance it's happening in real life. Unfortunately, when I accidentally dozed off and took an unexpected nap while I was in my old Zeus cabin, one decided to drop me a visit, for old time's sakes.

* * *

In my dream I found myself perched on top of a tree. The leaves were blocking most of my view, but I was afraid that if I moved the branch would give, and also because I found myself frozen on top of that tree. My body started moving on its own and steered my head towards a small opening in between the leaves. I saw two people. They were running. I couldn't see their faces clearly but I could hear their voices. They sounded panicked.

Then I did the craziest thing. My hands moved up and grabbed onto a branch above me, and I swung myself on top of it and squatted there, my right hand holding on to the trunk of the tree. I could see them more clearly now, but there was a thin fog and their faces were blurred, and I pretty much only saw the top of their heads anyway.

"_Where are we going anyway?"_ one of them asked as he stopped running. His voice sent several memories rushing back to me for some reason, and it also gave me goose bumps. But I was pretty sure that I didn't know who he was.

"_We're going where your real father wanted you to go, a place where you'll be safe."_ The other one replied. His voice had a touch of familiarity, but I couldn't quite place it.

"_But we're safe here. Why can't we stay? I just want to go home."_ The other one pleaded.

My eyes wandered off, the scenery kept switching from a bustling city filled with cars and buildings to a forest filled with tiny fireflies and a sky that seemed to be in a perpetual nighttime. Then my eyes found its way back to the two boys arguing.

_"It's not safe here. It's just a matter of time before they find you. You can't go back there. You have a new home now, waiting for you. If we could just go!"_ The other one exclaimed. Then I suddenly remembered. I knew who that boy was. It was Nico di Angelo.

I felt myself start to back away slowly, my right hand slowly letting go of the bark. Then I realized I was on a branch, I tried to stop myself, but I just unbalanced myself even more. My feet slipped off the branch and I tried to get a grip on one of the branches, but I was only able to hold on to one of the thinner ones. Then I tried to remember what Lady Artemis had taught me, but I couldn't remember. None of my hunter instincts seemed to be kicking in. I had to admit… I was _damn _scared. I heard something snap and I looked above me and saw the branch breaking. I closed my eyes and felt the leaves hit me until I was just falling. I closed my eyes tighter and I clenched my fists as I braced for impact.

* * *

Then I woke up. I heard a knock on my door and I looked around. I was still in the Zeus cabin wearing my old army jacket. I glanced at the clock that hung on the wall to the right of my bed. It had a cartoon drawing of my dad in the middle sitting on a throne, and two thunderbolts surrounding him moved around. I looked at the time. It read 5:30.

_Holy Zeus, did I oversleep?_ My question was answered by more impatient knocking.

"Thalia, are you in there?" I heard Phoebe call from outside. I guess she was the impatient knocker at my door. "We have to go, the show's about to—"

I rushed to the door and yanked it open before Phoebe could finish her sentence. Her hand was in front of my face when I opened it, probably because she was going to knock again but froze when I opened the door with so much force.

"Sorry about that, I kinda fell asleep…" I said scratching my head.

She looked at me curiously and I realized she noticed the old army jacket I was wearing over my hunter clothes. "What are you wear-"

"It's nothing!" I interrupted, spinning her around in the opposite direction. I started pushing her forward while she was still surprised, but then she caught on and resisted.

"Thalia what's wrong with you?" she turned around and looked at me suspiciously.

I paused for a bit and laughed nervously, "I-it's nothing!" I mean, what was I supposed to say?

_Uh, well, I just had my first "dream" after that battle we had with Kronos and it like totally freaked me out!_

Oh please.

Phoebe just stared at me suspiciously again, like just looking at me like that would break me, or something. I grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her again. It took almost all the strength I had to drag her just a few inches before she pulled back in resistance. I really don't know how I forget how strong she really is.

"Thalia, do you even know where we're going?" she complained as she jerked her hand back to force me to stop.

I sighed and let go of her arm, "…no."

I could've sworn she laughed a bit there, mockingly, "we're going to the Assembly Hall."

"Where?" I must've sounded _so_ stupid.

"It's near the right side of the big house. I think almost diagonal to the place that leads up to the attic. Weren't you just there a while ago?"

"Yeah but…" I waved my hand dismissively, "never mind that. Let's just get there."

* * *

I don't think I sprinted that fast in a _really_ long time. I could feel time slow down all around me, and I barely even felt my feet touch the ground. We were almost at the Assembly Hall when I saw something in the corner of my eye. I stopped almost simultaneously. Phoebe noticed I wasn't sprinting along with her anymore and looked back at me, easing to a stop.

"Thalia… what's wrong _this_ time?" I could sense that Phoebe knew that I was hiding something… well of course, but hiding _a lot_ of something's that it couldn't possibly be a nothing that could just be shrugged of and ignored even slightly.

I took another risk and hoped that I wouldn't release the angry monster just waiting burst out whenever she got angry.

"It's nothing." I paused for a bit then thought of something else to say, "Just go ahead. I'll catch up."

She seemed a little bit too eager when I said that.

"Alright! But I just can't guarantee you a seat… Oh, and don't be too late!" she turned around, and I'm pretty sure she was relieved that she could finally get away. What a great friend, right?

When I saw Phoebe was far enough, I ran to the forest.

_I could've sworn I saw something weird here a while ago…_ I thought to myself.

Then I heard something moving behind me. I let out a small yelp and dove in to one of the bushes instinctively. I looked around and see two figures, which to me looked almost like shadows, moving around through the forest. It was either they were looking for something, or trying to get away. I slowly moved closer to get a better look and find out when I heard a bell ring. I looked in the direction of the bell then seeing nothing, looked back at where I saw the two figures, but they were gone. I waited a bit longer then gave up. The show was probably about to start anyway. I snuck out of the bush and made my way back to the Assembly Hall. Hopefully I'd be able to find it again in time.

I ruffled my hair as I walked, trying to get the annoying twigs and leaves out of my hair when I heard someone whisper behind me. I didn't exactly catch what was said, and when I looked back to see what or who it was I didn't exactly catch who it was either. I decided to ignore it and just figure it out later after the show. When I finally got what I thought was the last of the twigs and leaves out of my hair, I sprinted for the Assembly Hall.

* * *

When I walked in to the Assembly Hall, everyone was behaving as unruly as my hair. They were all mumbling loudly and squirming in their seats. I looked around but I couldn't seem to find a seat. And it didn't help that I was still dazed from that stupid dream and that my vision seemed to failing me, getting blurrier and blurrier as I just stood there. I was about to just take a seat on the floor when I saw Grover approach me.

"Your protector to the rescue!" he whispered.

"Rescuing me from what, goat-boy?" I snapped. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him.

"From embarrassing yourself," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes.

Grover led me to one of the seats in the back row before disappearing.

When I sat down I was greeted by a familiar smile. Alcaeus "Alecs" Jackson was seated beside me. He had light brown hair, that for some reason, had streaks of orange and red. He had blue green eyes that kind of reminded me of Percy's, but they were different somehow. He smiled at me with a huge grin, and four of his teeth kind of pointed, like he had fangs, which just added to how mischievous he looked as it was.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Alecs was not the son of a boy named Percy Jackson. Actually, you could say he wasn't anyone's son. He was claimed by Hermes but even Hermes was confused by how this boy turned up. It's like he didn't remember how Alecs was born but he just knew he was his son. Alecs was brought to Camp Half-Blood seven years ago when he was eight years old and he found his way to Percy in one of his quests. Percy took him in and raised him as his little brother. And the most unnerving thing about Alecs was that he couldn't remember anything about his past, in other words, he had a really bad case of amnesia.

Through the years Percy had worked on trying to get his memory back but couldn't get anything out of Alecs. When he was born, the first thing he saw was a man, who he assumed to be his father until he saw what Hermes looked like, wearing all black, was the only thing Percy was able to help Alecs remember. Up till now, no one has still cracked the mystery of that boy stored away in Alecs's memories.

"Hey Thals, how's it shakin?" he greeted me as I sat down.

I glared at him and shook my head, not knowing if that was a pun or something, and not knowing whether I should react to him calling me "Thals".

I decided to just react to the Thals thing. "I'm older than you don't call me "Thals"." I lectured.

He responded by just laughing at me, "Whatever. I'm still taller than you."

I stood up, "Oh really now?" Then I looked down at him. The last time I was here, I was taller than him by a few inches, and if I tiptoed I could kind of tower over him, and I just wanted to see if I could feel that glory again.

He chuckled and stood up. He was a few inches taller than me. He then tiptoed to "tower over me", "Who's taller now?" he teased.

I crossed my arms and sat down on my chair with a pout.

"Don't feel bad, Thals, I'm a boy, I'm _supposed_ to be taller than you," he stuck his tongue out as he poked me.

I poked him back and sent mini-shock waves through his body. He winced and moved his chair a few inches away from mine with a thud.

"Jeez Laërtes, Thalia I was just kidding," he raised is hands like he was surrendering.

I laughed at his bad pun of 'Jeez Louise', "You're such an idiot. You know that?"

He looked up and smiled proudly, "At least I'm a proud idiot."

Alecs and I both held back laughter when we heard the crowd's restless murmuring growing louder. The lights in the Assembly Hall dimmed slowly as the stage illuminated. Mr. D appeared on stage, wearing his signature tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt that seemed to bulge a bit because of his plump figure, his purple running shoes, and a scowl on his face which made it obvious he was in yet another crabby mood due to waking up around all these campers that he seemed to hate so much.

A microphone appeared in his hand and he cleared his throat before he spoke. A growling sound echoed throughout the Assembly Hall and the murmurs slowly died down until it was completely silent.

"Hello, you little brats. I guess I'm supposed to thank you for all coming here tonight to celebrate Hekatambaion day, or the overthrowing of Kronos," he sighed, "since tonight is the tenth anniversary there was a request that we do something special tonight. And to get them to shut up since they've been bugging me for weeks, I agreed. So, please put your hands together, blah blah blah, for Annie-belle, erm, Annabeth Chase from the Athena Cabin…" Mr. D stomped backstage as he handed Annabeth the microphone. I heard several of the Athena kids cheering (well actually it was more of _roaring_).

Annabeth giggled on the microphone, "Thanks everyone, especially the Athena Cabin, for your support." The Athena kids roared even louder, I actually got surprised a bit from this one. I accidentally shocked Alecs who held back a scream as he recoiled in pain. I actually almost laughed watching Alecs in pain. I had to keep that in too.

Annabeth spoke into the microphone again, my ears still buzzing from the Athena screams, "The counselors and I have worked for months preparing for this show, so we—" but her speech, and apparently the whole show, was cut short as Nico di Angelo burst through the doors, a boy trailing behind him.

Everyone stood up. Chiron, Percy, and Mr. D rushed out to the stage, their faces filled with as much shock as the students. I looked at Alecs beside me, but he shrugged. Now I was pretty sure this wasn't part of the show. I looked around to see if I could find any of my hunters in the crowd, but I had no such luck. I couldn't find any of them in all the chaos. Everyone from the front rows were rushing to get a closer view of Nico at the back, and I felt suffocated by the soon-to-be-stampede, so I grabbed Alecs' arm and worked our way out of the crowd.

"Nico di Angelo," Chiron spoke into the microphone, "What do you think you're doing?"

Nico tried to talk, but the crowd overpowered his voice. He stepped back and so did the boy he was with.

I saw Mr. D grab the microphone from Chiron, his eyes burning with… I'm not sure. Okay, so his eyes were burning. "WHOEVER DOESN'T KEEP QUIET _RIGHT NOW_ WILL BE TURNED INTO A BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN!"

The crowd immediately shut up and their heads turned towards Mr. D, who looked as excited as he was infuriated. He probably enjoyed the only times he got to scream at all the campers at once.

"Now you can talk, ghosty-boy," Mr. D spoke into the microphone.

Nico looked around. Apparently he felt pressured now since everyone was listening to whatever he was going to say, and paying really close attention to it, I have to add.

Nico took a step forward, he looked behind him and signaled the boy, who had backed up almost out of the doors, to step forward. He looked around and did as Nico ordered. He was standing next to Nico now.

Nico pointed to the boy beside him with his thumb, "This is Cas. He's a demigod. Who wants to welcome him here to Camp Half-Blood?" Nico smirked expectantly (and nervously).

The crowd stirred. Murmurs were getting louder. I looked at the stage and Annabeth looked like she was going to pass out. Percy looked even worse. Mr. D looked like he was going to explode and Chiron's face was scrunched up, like he had a massive headache or something.

I looked back at Nico and he bit his lip and his face said something like, "was this a bad time or what?" And then my eyes turned to the boy behind him, the apparent "new demigod". My heart dropped.

**A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I know it's kinda long... so, like the first chapter, congratulations on finishing this one, if you did. PLEASE REVIEW! it would make my day! :D  
**


	3. I Become The Camp Tour Guide

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

**A/N: first of all, I would like to thank Artemis's Lieutenant for being so patient with me and bearing with me because I`m so hard to work with [fail]. So here it is, chapter 3, finally! I hope you all like it! Please review and tell me what you think, because reviews make my day and I appreciate each and every one, anonymous and not! Oh, and there was one part which I totally thought was a 'that`s what she said!' moment and I was so tempted to place a side-comment in there, but then I thought " that is so anti-climactic... " so I decided otherwise. chapter 4 is actually finished, and will be ready for uploading very very soon, so yeah, keep reading and reviewing! :] oh, and share this story, spread the word. hehe.  
**

I Become The Camp Tour-Guide

Okay, so, back up. Where was I? Oh right.

During the special 10th H-Day show, Nico di Angelo decided to march in out of nowhere right before the show with a new demigod, which created a show in itself.

The crowd got all out of control and Mr. D, Chiron, Annabeth and Percy totally freaked out. While they were on stage, they looked at each other and then just nodded.

Percy grabbed the microphone and ordered Nico to get his butt, along with the new demigod, to the Big House. Well, maybe Percy didn't say it that way and I rephrased it a little, but that was the gist. He also told the campers to get organized and orderly and get themselves back to their cabins before any more trouble stirred up.

While everyone was lining up and heading back to their cabins, I stayed behind. Alecs was urging me to go or else we would get into trouble, but I told him I didn't care.

"You can go ahead, nobody's stopping you. But I'm going to find out what they're talking about," I told him.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with concern, "are you sure about this?" he asked me.

"Pretty much."

"Nothing stopping you now, huh?" he sighed.

I looked at him, "You bet."

"Fine, then."

"Fine what?"

"I'm coming with you."

Then he whispered to me, "I really wanna find out what they're talking about too anyway."

I smiled mischievously, "Suit yourself."

* * *

So we both made our way to the Big House. I pressed my ears against the big doors. Alecs crossed his arms and stared at me.

"What?" I asked him, my head still pressed against the door.

"_That's_ your big plan. _That's_ how you plan to find out what they're talking about?" He seemed highly disappointed in me.

"Well, do you have anything else in mind?"

"…No, but you're a hunter. I expected you to be sneakier and more conniving than that!" He tried to make some kind of ninja pose, but I wasn't quite sure since he_ clearly_ failed.

"I'll show you conniving." I pinched him and sent shocks throughout his entire body. So you could kind of say that I 'shocked his system'. Okay, not the time for jokes, got it.

"Wh-what the heck?" he exclaimed. He wriggled uncomfortably as the shock waves traveled through his body sending mixed signals of pain and tickles.

I put a finger over my mouth and shushed him as I pressed my ears back against the door. I finally caught something.

"I WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS SHOW AND NOW IT'S RUINED!" Annabeth yelled. Actually, yell was an understatement of what Annabeth just did. Her voice was so loud I probably would have heard it even if my head wasn't pressed against the door. My proof being, Alecs's face when he heard it too. His eyes widened and his face was filled with absolute fear of the beast Annabeth had just become. I had to admit, I was pretty scared too.

I listened a bit more but I couldn't really catch anything anymore. All I could hear were muffled sentences like, "Nico… thinking… Los Angeles!" or "Crazy… dangerous… seriously!" I tried putting the sentence together in my head and came up with, "Nico what were you thinking? Los Angeles! Are you crazy? That was dangerous! Seriously!" or something like that.

I listened a bit more when Alecs started to grow impatient. He started tapping his foot on the ground and swinging his arms around like crazy. That was probably the ADHD kicking in

"Hmmmmmm…" he grumbled. He tapped his foot a bit more impatiently when he just stopped and slapped his hands together, "You know what? Your master plan isn't working out. Why do you wanna get in on their conversation so badly anyway?"

"Because!" I exclaimed, then I lowered my voice along with my head. "Because when I was still a camper I used to be a part of these meetings. And well… yeah, I miss kinda miss it," I explained. I cut out a big chunk of what I was supposed to say though. Because, I mean, I couldn't exactly tell him that I just wanted to see that new demigod again. What was his name? Cas? Well, Nico seemed to make a big fuss of that kid, and I was going to get to the bottom of this.

"That's it?" He laughed, "but you _do _know that your master plan is failing miserably."

"Again, do you have anything else in mind?" I looked at him doubtfully.

"Actually," he tapped his chin with his finger, "I kind of do." He lifted his hand and made it into a fist in front of the door. All it took was for him to jerk back his hand for me to realize what he was about to do.

"Wait, Alecs, what are you—" but I was too late. Alecs had already knocked on the doors, his loud _BANG BANG BANG _was probably echoing inside that big empty room.

I slapped my forehead and glared at Alecs, "_That's_ what you had in mind?" I exclaimed.

"Just wait."

Almost simultaneously, I heard several locks click and one of the big doors creaking as it opened.

Percy stared at us, his eyebrows arching up slowly. And then his eyebrows scrunched up suspiciously.

"Thalia? Alecs? What are you two doing here?" Percy asked.

Alecs immediately pointed at me, "Well, Thalia was eavesdropping."

"Hey!" I poked him and sent shocks through his system again. He jumped up from the shock and the pain, and his body squirmed for a while before the jolts left his body.

Percy looked at me, like he was expecting me to explain.

I smiled nervously, "Well, Alecs was the one who knocked on the door!" I glanced at him and saw his face, which was filled with disbelief.

"I only knocked because you said you wanted to get in there!" he defended himself. He crossed his arms and looked away.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Thalia, is this true?"

"Well…" I crossed my arms defensively, "I just wanted to know what was going on. And I used to be part of these meetings. I just…"

"She misses being a part of something important," Alecs nodded.

"I'm part of something important! I'm a hunter!" I punched him and sent an even more painful shock through him.

Alecs pretty much froze from all the pain I caused him. I would have probably felt guilty if I hadn't been so pissed off.

Chiron then galloped over and opened the door wider. It was spread out enough that I could peek inside the room.

The table was filled with each counselor from every cabin around the table, which had clearly increased since the last time I was in one of these meetings before. They pretty much formed a rectangle around the table with Nico and Cas sitting at the end across Chiron and Mr. D.

Then my eyes wandered off to Cas. He had messy blond hair that slightly covered part of his ears and blue eyes. His eyebrows were slightly upturned and his mouth had this habit of forming into a lopsided, sneaky-looking grin. He looked athletic, and, though being a hunter I can't _exactly_ say, but he was really, _really_, gorg-… uh, good looking. Ugh, I felt my face redden a bit.

Then I glanced at Annabeth and immediately stepped back and chose to face Chiron, who handled things more patiently. I won't even describe what Annabeth looked like in detail. All I can say is that she beat my Aegis shield by a long shot.

"What are you both up to _this_ time?" he sighed as he looked at Alecs, who I probably suspected had talked to Chiron about his behavior more than anyone else in camp.

We both grinned nervously at Chiron who just shook his head. Apparently his headache from before hadn't left him and we just made it worse.

"I'll tell you what, I'll let you two off with a warning on one condition."

"ANYTHING!" Alecs and I both shouted. I glanced at Alecs and he was doing a little victory dance beside me, mouthing, "yesss!"

"You be good little campers and show Cas around. Both of you know the camp better than anyone. Thalia's been here quite a long time and Alecs has found more hiding places than I can count," He chuckled a bit there.

Percy dragged Cas out of the door and Cas walked to the spot beside me. I felt a cold breeze when he came and I fidgeted a bit.

"Sure thing, Chiron. You can count on us!" Alecs said, still dancing his victory dance.

"Just don't get into _any_ more trouble, understand?" Percy's glare fell on Alecs.

Alecs's jaw dropped and he started muttering complaints like "What are you looking at me for?"

Chiron and Percy both looked at each and laughed. They waved us goodbye and closed the doors. I casually walked up to the door and leaned my head against it once again until I noticed both Alecs and Cas looking at me weirdly.

"_What_? I just thought that maybe I would've heard something else," I stepped away from the door and walked over to both of them. Luckily, I was able to catch something anyway. It went something like "That…hiding…us?" Unluckily, I had no idea what that meant.

Then there was silence… a very awkward silence. Cas shifted his eyes from me to Alecs then back to me. I shifted my eyes from him then to the ground then at Alecs, who was still doing his victory dance.

Finally, Alecs stepped out of his little world and broke the silence, "hey dude, my name's Alecs," he held out his hand.

"Cas," he shook Alecs's hand.

I stood there silently and I watched, which was so not like me but that was what I did anyway.

"So, who's your Olympian parent?" Alecs nudged Cas's arm.

Cas beamed, "Hermes."

"Cool! Me too! That mean's we're bros!" Alecs raised his hand and high-fived Cas.

Cas shifted his attention and looked at me, "and you?"

"I-I…" I stuttered. I seriously wanted to slap myself right there. "Thalia, and my dad's Zeus." I shook his hand nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Thalia." Then he did the worst thing ever. He smiled at me. That stupid son of a god smiled at me.

"Don't even push your luck dude. She's a hunter, so you won't go anywhere with her," Alecs teased.

I punched Alecs's arm and made sure that he had never felt _anything _more painful than one of my 'thunder punches'.

Cas's expression turned naïve, so I suspected he probably didn't know what a hunter was. I guessed he probably didn't care right now, since there were more things to talk about.

"Anyway… so when did you find out you were a demigod?" I asked him, not looking him in the eyes. Not looking him the face either.

"When I was thirteen, so… two years ago," he replied.

"Two years ago?" I said, completely baffled. "Then why'd you just come to Camp Half-Blood now?"

"Um, it wasn't time yet… well that's what Nico said." He glanced at the doors to the Big House.

"I can't believe you _lived_," Alecs jumped back in to the conversation. I seriously wanted to kill him for saying that. Luckily, Cas just laughed. It seems like that's all he ever did…

* * *

So we began our tour of Camp Half-Blood. We started of by telling him that huge building he was just in was the Big House, and that the place he made his dramatic entrance in was called the Assembly Hall.

We showed him around the cabins, pointing out each and every cabin and their god. Alecs had to jump in and save me because I couldn't get past 13 of the several gods.

Then we passed by the forest and Zeus's fist. Alecs made a joke about how it looked a big pile of poop, and I just caused him some more pain. We didn't hang around long in the forest though, because Cas seemed to get fidgety while we were there.

The tour was going pretty well, and I was actually warming up to Cas. That is, until we reached the arena.

The arena had grown bigger since the last time, and now it looked like a mini version of the Coliseum in Rome, except less tattered up and it didn't have as many holes. Apparently, the Coliseum had all those holes because it was held together by huge staples, which they eventually had to take out and use as weapons in one of the wars. Isn't that an interesting weapon? _Watch out! There's a giant staple heading towards us!_

Cas looked at all the different kinds of swords, his beautiful blue eyes shining like diamonds as he admired the craftsmanship of each sword. His cheeks grew pinker as he held each sword in his hand, and he smiled from ear to ear. He looked like those adorable little kids whenever they opened their presents in Christmas. I just stared at him until Alecs nudged me. His face was smug. I just ignored him and luckily, I snapped out of that trance I went in when I looked at Cas.

"Why don't you try one out?" I suggested.

His eyes sparkled when I said that. He immediately grabbed one of the swords, like he was expecting me to say that and went over to the center of the arena.

He started to do simple poses. Striking against the dummies, blocking, disarming. Then one of the sparring robots that the Hephaestus cabin made stepped up and they dueled. He was doing pretty well for a beginner, actually. He was keeping his stand against the robot. And then he did this one move that really shocked me.

He spun his sword as he blocked, disarmed, and then went in for the kill. The robot retreated in fear. I was so impressed I found myself clapping.

"How'd you do that?" Alecs asked, clearly as bewildered as I was.

He shrugged then just kept practicing some more poses and stances. Then I just couldn't resist it anymore. I grabbed one of the swords and went over to Cas.

"Let's just see how good you really are," I tossed my sword up and it spun three times before I caught it and pointed it towards his face, "Bring it on, Cassy-boy."

Then I scolded myself, _Cassy-boy? Seriously?_

He smirked then we started sparring. I went easy on him at first, but he was getting the hang of it a bit too fast. I underestimated this dude. So slowly I made it harder and harder for him until he let his guard down for a second. I disarmed him, grabbed his sword and pointed them both at him.

"Gotcha," I winked. "You never could beat me, Luke."

Cas was silent. Then I realized what I had just said. A flood of memories came rushing back. Memories of the only other person I knew who was as good a sword fighter as Cas had been proving he was—Luke Castellan. The one who meant the most to me, that is, until he betrayed us and sided with Kronos. The one who gave his own life to save the whole world, the hero of the prophecy… the one I counted as the only family I had left, until he died and left me with almost no one.

I dropped the swords and stepped back, "I-I'm sorry." I hadn't thought about him in so long, I had forgotten how much it hurt when I did. I hated this feeling.

"Thals… Thalia, what's wrong?" Alecs prodded my arm lightly with his fingers.

"I… it's nothing," I put on my best smile, but I knew I couldn't hide the pain in my eyes. I was tearing up, and I knew it.

There was another awkward silence. Alecs scratched his arm and Cas returned the sword and walked over beside me. Both of them next to me made me feel better, just knowing both of them were there. I couldn't figure out why.

"We should get going," I mumbled. They both nodded and we both made our way to the Hermes cabin. The walk there was awful. Everyone was afraid to speak a word. We were all trying our best to avoid the subject and block most of what had happened a while ago from our minds.

I was relieved when we finally got there. The Hermes cabin stood big and proud, with its big blinking sign and its supermarket atmosphere. Since Alecs and Cas were both sons of Hermes, they both stayed there.

"So, I guess we gotta get going," Alecs said. He squeezed my shoulder to comfort me. "See you later, Thals." He walked up the porch and went inside, the door making a _swish_ sound as it opened and closed.

"Bye, Thalia," Cas looked at me. And of course he just _had_ to be a nice guy and hug me. His embrace was so warm. Unconsciously, I hugged him back. I remembered all the good things in life. Then I remembered the first time I had ever met Luke. When I was twelve years old and he was fourteen, and we both ran away from our homes. We were the only family each of us had, and we liked it that way.

"Bye," I pulled away and looked down.

I could feel Cas's gaze staring right at me, trying to comprehend the way I was acting. Then I heard his footsteps getting farther and farther away as I kept my head down. I didn't move until I heard the _swish_ sound of the door opening. Then I turned away. But before I could take another step, I heard footsteps.

"Thalia!" I turned around and saw Cas running towards me. "If something's bothering you, you can tell me. I promise I'll be here for you. I mean… I know we just met, and I don't know why, but I feel like I've known you all my life."

I nodded, turned around and walked away, leaving him there. I walked, not stopping for anything, until I reached the Artemis cabin. I reached for the doorknob then froze. I shook my head and ran for my old Zeus cabin. Running as fast as I could, so that no one would see me like this. I barged in through the doors and slammed it. I could barely walk, so I slumped on the floor with my back against the door. I hugged my knees and buried my face. I cried my heart out.

**A/N: so what do you think? I would really like to see all your comments in a REVIEW! I accept constructive criticism and try to learn from every mistake I make to become a better writer. thanks again to Artemis's Lieutenant! you`re the bomb. P:**


	4. I Open Up To The Grim Reaper

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

**A/N: here you go, chapter 4! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Artemis's Lieutenant for coping with my persistence and still beta-ing for me despite all that! :] Okay so I'm not so sure if Thalia would really be this way so sorry if you think some parts are OOC, but I really did try my best! and I also tried my best to avoid any Thalico moments because I am a Thalico fan, so yes, I hope I was successful. Enjoy and make my day by reviewing and telling me what you think!  
**

I Open Up To The Grim Reaper

I'll admit it. I felt like every part of me was being ripped apart in the deepest depths of Tartarus. And Tartarus is _not_ the place to be, more so ripped apart in. I should know.

Thunder crackled in the distance and the lights my cabin flickered on and off. I heard lots of the campers rushing into their cabins in their confusion. And then I heard water pouring down heavily. There was a storm. There was supposed to be a barrier around the camp to prevent any natural disasters to occur inside the camp, but they couldn't keep it away forever, especially ones that I caused myself.

My tears fell about as hard as the rain pounding the roofs and the pavements all around the camp. I screamed so loud that thunder couldn't compare, though it tried. Then finally, I had no more tears left. My voice was gone with it. So I just sat there silently. And as slowly as I felt the storm clouds melting away from the sky, my mind wandered off and I hoped it was all just a bad dream.

* * *

I heard several knocks on my door but I just ignored them. I could barely move. It took me about an hour to just gather up enough strength to lie down on my bed because sleeping on a marble floor did _wonders_ for my back. I probably skipped breakfast and lunch just sitting here, feeling sorry for myself. I hated being this way. H-Day was supposed to be a fun, awesome reunion with my Camp Half-Blood family. _But noooo_. Here I was skipping meals because I was so freaking depressed. And I wasn't that hungry anyway.

"Starving yourself could lead to death… well, at least that's what _I_ heard," I looked up and saw Nico grinning at me.

"How'd you get in here?" I said bitterly. I didn't even bother to look him in the eyes anymore. I just looked back down at my feet, to see the tattered up boots I'd been using to run away from everything.

"I shadow traveled myself in," Nico gloated.

"And why would do you do that?" I asked indifferently.

"Because I _can…_ And because I have this feeling of knowing when someone's depressed and I just know when she needs me," Nico sat down beside me. "And besides, there was a huge storm this morning. That _kinda_ gave you away."

I looked at him but didn't say a word. Nico hadn't really changed over the years. But you'd be surprised. Nico wasn't the same twelve year-old you got used to. He _especially_ wasn't that boy who used to play Mythomagic.

Nico had (chaotic) black hair and his eyes were as dark as the clothes he wore. He had on a black aviator's jacket, jeans, black converse, and to top it all off a skull ring on his finger, and a dog tag hanging from his neck that had "Occupation: Grim Reaper" inscribed on it. Oh yeah, and he looked seventeen. If you thought his age was already messed up enough because he spent a chunk of his life trapped in the Lotus Casino, get ready for the biggest shocker ever: Nico di Angelo is immortal now, _doomed_ to be seventeen for the rest of his life.

Just kidding. He wasn't doomed. He actually chose this for himself. He said that since he was the last Hades kid that could live, he had to last. So he pulled some strings and asked his dad for some help, then after that I don't know what happened. He said he had to do something to prove to the gods he was worth making immortal. And I guess he did just that since he came back after a few months, well…_ immortal_.

I looked away and shook my head. Then finally, I chose to break the awkward silence by speaking.

"So you've come here to help me. _Sweet_," I said sarcastically.

"C'mon, Thalia! Don't do this to yourself," Nico whined. "Did something happen yesterday?"

I looked back down and tapped my foot. Nico squirmed in his seat and I could tell he wasn't looking at me anymore.

"I'm sorry, it's Cas, isn't it?" he sighed.

"What makes you so sure?"

"You've always had this issue with Hermes kids," he teased.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes, "I do _not_."

He laughed, "No use hiding it, Thalia. I'm a negativity magnet. So when there's some negative feeling buried deep down inside you, I'll know. And man, do you _have_ negative energy!"

I punched his arm and I realized I forgot to add a shock to it. I looked at the clock and it was as if even the cartoon version of my dad was frowning upon me. I ignored it, anyway. The clock read one 'o clock, meaning it was just lunch.

"So…" Nico made a weird noise by pursing his lips together then opening them again. It kind of sounded like bubble wrap, "You wanna talk about it or do you have to kill someone first?"

"That has got to be the_ worst_ joke to tell right now, ghost-boy."

"What do you expect? I'm Hades' son, those are the only jokes I tell."

"Well they're not very funny," I sat back up and looked straight, though I wasn't really staring at anything. Just spacing out.

"Obviously. To you, _funny_ is causing people pain by hurting them _and_ shocking them with your thundery mayhem at the same time."

"And you find jokes about killing funny?"

"Well yeah," he laughed.

"Figures, coming from the one who brought cretins to the camp," I bit my lip in irritation.

"Hey, I wanted you to talk, but don't be mean," he teased as if he _knew_ I was going to bring it up some time. And knowing him, I bet he did.

"Well this is the only way I _can_ talk so either live with it or don't," I snapped back.

"I guess I'll have to live with it…" he sighed.

"You don't have to. Your dad's Hades, he's got connections, especially when it comes to living and not."

His smile faded, "That's not funny."

"It's _your_ humor, so don't go telling me twice."

Then he laughed again. Did I ever tell you how Nico's laugh sounded like? Well just imagine a villain who's had to battle death, and win, cackle. That's how he sounds like, except a bit more sinister.

"So let's talk. But first, you have to eat."

"But lunch's over. I can just wait till dinner."

"That idea's not sounding too _lively_ to me, if you get what I mean," so he grabbed my hand and everything went black.

* * *

I hope you never have to experience shadow traveling. It's the worst feeling in the world. Everything's all dark so you can't see anything and you feel like your insides are being twisted around and that you're being squeezed inside the most uncomfortable places, like a can of soup, or something.

About midway through the journey, I just closed my eyes. It didn't make that much of a difference since everything was just pure darkness anyway. And it turned out, closing my eyes made me feel a lot better. Figures, since this is how I deal with my afraid-of-heights problem.

I kept my eyes closed tight until I felt Nico shake me. I slowly opened my eyes and my jaw dropped. I was sitting on top of a mountain that stood over San Francisco. I saw the Golden Gate Bridge somewhere below, car lights glistening as they passed by the bridge. A slight fog covered the sights below, but it just added to the atmosphere.

I looked at Nico beside me and he held a plastic bag in his hand. He handed it to me. I reached in and took out our food.

"A cheeseburger?" I unwrapped the burger and took a bite, "You took me to a mountain in San Francisco just so we could eat cheeseburgers."

He laughed at how ridiculous I sounded, "Well, it isn't just any mountain." He looked behind him, his eyes looked like it could see things a thousand miles away.

I followed the direction his eyes were facing and then I knew. It was Mount Tamalpais. Mount Othrys… this place had so many memories. Not good ones, I have to say.

I took another bite from my cheeseburger and looked away, "Why'd you bring me here, Nico?"

"I knew it," he whispered.

"What?"

"I knew it. I know what's bothering you. It all makes sense now."

"Wait a minute… did you just _trick_ me?" I chewed on my cheeseburger furiously.

"Not exactly. I wasn't sure. And I knew you wouldn't talk, so I made a lucky guess, and it turns out I'm pretty lucky."

"So if you already figured it out why'd you go through all the trouble to get me to talk?"

"Because I guess, I wanted to hear it from you," Nico whispered, "It's Luke, isn't it? That's what's bothering you. I mean… Mount Othrys is the place you killed him."

"I didn't kill him!" I defended myself. "He didn't die…"

"Yeah, but you thought he did," Nico said indifferently. "Cas is from Hermes, and he always showed a talent for swordsmanship."

"This has nothing to do with Cas," I retorted.

"This has everything to do with Cas," he replied with one of the _most_ cliché comebacks I have ever heard.

"Thalia, don't blame Cas for what Luke did to you. And don't do this to yourself either, because it won't do you any good," Nico reassured me.

"I… I wasn't blaming Cas," I mumbled. "He… he meant well, I just…"

"Yeah, I got it," Nico grinned. "Just don't mope around like this. The Thalia I know won't let something like this throw her off."

I smiled but it didn't last, no matter how much I tried to force it. "Yeah, I know, but whenever I see Cas I just remember everything I tried to forget, and I just… I don't know what to do."

"I'll tell you what you're doing to do, even if I know you hate that," Nico smirked. "You're going to go back to camp, and I mean not just locked up inside the Zeus cabin. You're going to go out and just, live like you've always lived in camp."

"Yeah, sure," I tried to smile. I bet I looked _really_ creepy.

"And… just get to know _Cas,_ Thals. Don't get to know the Luke in him," he snuck the Cas thing back in to the conversation.

"Um… fine," I sighed.

"Promise?" he arched his eyebrows and looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah, promise," I smiled for the first time today.

"See? Doesn't that feel better?" he teased.

"Not really…" I said sarcastically.

He looked across the Golden Gate Bridge and at the San Francisco skyline. "We gotta go back now. Ready?"

I nodded. But now, I was _not_ at all ready to shadow travel. I was almost tempted to bolt and just ride a plane to get back home, but Nico had grabbed my hand before I could move and we were sucked in by the darkness.

* * *

I don't think I could ever get used to shadow traveling. I felt nauseous and I could barely even walk a straight line. I kept my eyes closed. I felt around, not knowing where I was, and I felt a really soft surface… like a bed. I plopped myself onto it and tried to calm down. I opened my eyes slowly and I was back in my Zeus cabin. I looked at the clock. It was almost dinnertime.

_We were gone _that_ long? Or does shadow traveling just take a whole lot of time…_ I wondered to myself as I walked out the door.

When I stepped out, everyone was busy doing something. The decorations for the 10th H-Day were still up. Each camper was running around, even faster than when I first arrived here.

"Thals!" I looked to see Alecs waving at me. He was running towards me, Nico following behind him, smiling sinisterly and happily at the same time, if that was even possible.

When Alecs reached me he was completely out of breath. He bent down and leaned on his knees and then looked back up at me, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." I replied.

"Sorry, forgot you weren't used to shadow traveling," Nico whispered to me as he walked over beside me.

Alecs looked at us suspiciously, his eyebrows scrunched up really weirdly and furiously, "What are you two whispering about? Because I don't like feeling left out of things, so you better tell me… or… or else!"

Nico looked at me, as if telling me that he'd leave the explaining to Alecs up to me. Damn him.

"Or else _what_, elf-boy?" I stood up straighter and looked Alecs straight in the eyes. I tiptoed then 'towered over him'.

Alecs' expression softened and he hugged me so tight I thought he would split me in half, "Yes, you're back Thals!" He did a small victory dance while he hugged me.

"Where did I go?" I said, trying to break free from his grip.

"You tell me. You were acting really weird yesterday. What's up?"

"Nothing, I just remembered something," Alecs finally put me down. I looked at Nico who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway, what's up with all the campers? Isn't H-Day over?" I asked.

"Nope. Annabeth ordered everyone to make everything better than it was before because the show would still go on… or something. I didn't really listen to her whole speech," Alecs looked up trying to recall everything.

"Right, Annabeth's in charge after all. She probably got _really_ pissed after everything didn't go according to her plan," I looked at Nico who raised his arms unknowingly.

"Anyway, you should go look for Cas," Alecs ordered me.

"What, why?" I winced.

"What's with your voice?" Alecs laughed, "He's been looking for you all day. He got really worried about you yesterday, but that son of a god wouldn't tell me why," he pouted.

"Yeah, sure. Do you know where he is?"

"That's why I said you should _look_ for him, because I lost him a while ago," Alecs scratched his head.

"You're freaking useless, Alecs Jackson!" I glared at him.

"I think I saw him in the arena, practicing," Nico jumped in and winked at me.

"Right, the arena. I'll go there," I walked away and I heard Alecs asking Nico about that wink and about some other things Alecs was overly distressed about. I laughed at how calmly Nico ignored him and how flustered Alecs was getting, because judging by the sound of his voice, his investigation wasn't going so well.

* * *

Nico was right. Cas was in the arena. He was fighting one of the Ares kids, and he was clearly winning, because the Ares kids' face looked really worried that he might be cut in half. As I moved in closer, Cas glanced at my direction, but I wasn't really sure if he saw me coming or not, because his full attention was on the battle. Then he did the move I showed him yesterday. He disarmed the Ares kid, who was now sitting on the floor, trying to look fierce as he whimpered defending himself. Cas smiled and helped the Ares kid up.

"Thanks for practicing with me dude," the Ares kid patted Cas on the back and walked away, going wherever he was going.

Cas walked over to me, swords in hand. "Thalia!"

"Hey Cas! I see you've been practicing. Awesome form by the way, you totally owned that Ares kid. I bet Ares is out there someone freaking out because a Hermes kid bested his son in a swordfight," I shook the memory of what had happened yesterday and kept my promise with Nico.

He smiled, and instantly a thousand butterflies started flying around in my stomach. I fought the feeling and smiled back at him.

"Hey, so, since you saw how much I've been practicing, maybe you'd wanna…" he looked at the swords then back at me.

"Bring it on, elf-boy!" I slapped myself in my mind for recycling an insult, but hey, I couldn't think of anything else. "But I'm not really a sword person… mind if I use my own weapon?" I smirked mischievously.

"Yeah sure."

I took out my canister from my pocket and it slowly formed into my electric spear. Cas looked at it in shock then looked back at me. I just laughed at him. He walked over to the center and I followed him there, spear in hand and ready to kick some Hermes kid butt.

**A/N: I'm listening Kiss N Tell by Ke$ha right now. It's such a catchy song! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! REVIEW! ;]**


	5. I Hang With The Boys

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

**A/N: Thank you so much to Artemis' Lieutenant for editing it for me! I hope you`re having a blast at Camp Half-Blood ;] okay so my friend and I were being really random, and she said that if Thalia and Cas had a name, they would be called " Casalia ". and we were both like, " that sounds like a drink! " and were like, " I want my Casalia on the rocks. " Anyway, how do _you_ want your Casalia? Hahaha. Okay so basically in this chapter, there`s going to be some drama. yes. DRAMA! this chapter`s shorter than the rest but it`s got drama so yeah... haha. review and tell me what you think! and I read this really good idea from a reviewer, and I was really going to make Cas see a picture of Luke, so you just have to wait and see ;]**

I Hang With The Boys

I bet Lady Artemis wanted to kill me right now. I mean, her own lieutenant, spending her time in Camp Half-Blood with the company of _boys_. Yup, pretty much the whole time I've been in Camp Half-Blood, I just hung out with the boys. Annabeth was no fun right now since she was completely engrossed with the whole H-Day project. Rachel just kept disappearing to Zeus knows where, and well, I can't say I know any other girls. Clarisse doesn't _exactly _count as a girl… I'm not even that tight with her anyway.

Since Artemis allowed us to stay in camp until after H-Day, I didn't exactly know how long our little vacation would be, since the original H-Day plan was destroyed and who knew what Annabeth's planning now. All she said is that the show would be soon, but how soon could soon _be_?

My hunters spent most of their time beating the Apollo kids at archery and just exploring the forest. They didn't really try to get to know the other campers, and I forbade Phoebe from even going _near_ the Stoll brothers after that incident with them before. We couldn't afford another war, or another monster rampaging around camp.

Yesterday I went swimming with Percy in the lake. I didn't really notice it before, but Percy had really grown. Besides the fact that he was _so much_ taller than me now, I swear, he'd been working out. He wasn't that wimpy kid I remember anymore. I guess being in camp as long as he has really whipped him into shape. I wouldn't expect anything less from him anyway. He's _Percy Jackson_. He had to show everyone that he deserved every single victory that came his way.

While we were swimming, Percy told me about everything I missed while I was away from camp. I was supposed to catch up with Annabeth about these kinds of things, but I wasn't going to cross her now.

"I never knew how many demigods there actually were until all of them just started showing up all of a sudden," Percy told me. "More and more campers have been going on quests just to _find_ all the demigods. Most of them are gone for more than a month just looking."

"Have some of them come back without finding the demigods?" I asked him. Both of us were sitting on a rock in the middle of the lake, our feet swinging above the water below.

"Yeah, tons of times," he explained. "Which kind of scares me, actually. I mean… Kronos is gone, right? What's happening to all the missing demigods?"

"You know, maybe that's why Lady Artemis had to go on another mission," I sighed as I looked down at the tiny ripples my feet were making as my toes tapped the surface of the water. "More and more monsters are reappearing, so all the gods have been doing their part trying to prevent them from causing havoc. Maybe that's why the demigods are disappearing… because the monsters get to them first."

Percy thought about what I had said for a moment then looked at me, "I sure hope not."

* * *

The day before that, I had spent the day with Nico. He was trying to get me used to shadow traveling in case I needed it in the future. I protested many times saying that I refused to shadow travel anymore, but he would always find a way to catch me off guard and drag me off someplace. It sucked how much I was forced to shut up when the darkness sucked us up. I didn't know if it was the pressure keeping my mouth closed, or something, I just know that Nico was relieved that something was _finally_ able to shut me up.

Whenever we would finally arrive to wherever he would randomly shadow travel us to, I would always feel so nauseated and walk around in zigzagged circles. I knew Nico would just stare at me until I got tired and just sat down, too tired to complain any more.

I think I finally started getting used to shadow traveling when he brought me to this place in Los Angeles, because when we emerged somewhere in the beach, hidden by the rocks, I felt less woozy. I sat down with my back against one of the rocks to stop myself from throwing up. I closed my eyes. The cold surface of the rock I was leaning on calmed me. Nico sat down in front of me.

"So how's camp treating you?" he asked me.

I opened my eyes a bit and peeked at him. "Fine thank you," I replied. "I don't remember the last time I stayed at camp this long. I miss it."

"Then why don't you just come back?" he asked casually.

"I can't, I'm a hunter. I made a vow."

"A vow you can just give up, you know. Artemis gives you a choice."

"No way. I don't break promises."

"Speaking of promises, how are you and Cas?" Nico crossed his arms and looked at me.

I leaned forward and looked back at him. "What's it to you?"

"I just want to know if you're keeping your promise."

"I am, don't worry about it ghost-fling." I leaned back against the rock and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful, clear day. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"How about Alecs?" he dug his hands on the sand and started playing with it, taking a handful of sand then letting it slip through his fingers.

"What about Alecs?"

"Has he… been acting weird lately?"

"Weird in what way? Because Alecs is just _really_ weird," I cackled.

"Like, has he been more distant, tired, or has he been more… subtle?"

I thought for a bit. Alecs was anything _but_ subtle. He always seemed to be bursting with energy. But, yeah, he has been a bit distant, but I just supposed it was because we haven't seen each other in so long and he didn't know how to go about a conversation. What was Nico talking about?

"Ah, never mind. I shouldn't have asked," Nico laid down on the sand. I grabbed a handful of sand and poured it all over him. He just closed his eyes and didn't move.

* * *

I didn't know what I was going to do that day. I just planned on going with the flow and just accept whatever was thrown at me today. Unless something was _literally_ thrown at me, then naturally I would have to fight back. It's the circle of life.

I sat down on the porch of my Zeus cabin. I had been staying there the past few days to gather my thoughts and just find myself again. I figured I wouldn't be able to do that with all the hunters looming all over me. I knew I had to go back to the Artemis cabin sooner or later, but for now I would just relax in my Zeus cabin until everything mellowed down.

"Hey," Alecs said as he sat down beside me. His voice was calm, and his eyes seemed to be looking at something far away. He still had a slight grin on his face, but it wasn't as mischievous as it always was.

"Hey," I greeted him. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope, nothing's wrong," he reassured me, "why?"

"I don't know. If you say I've been acting weird…" I paused for a bit and chose my words carefully, "I guess that's what… well… are you okay?" I didn't choose my words well enough. "Because if there's anything wrong, you can tell me. You're like my brother. I don't like that you've got problems and I just sit here and do nothing. You're family, and I'm nosy when it comes to family," I laughed.

"Well _when_ I've got something bothering me I'll be sure to tell you."

Thunder sputtered and storm clouds began to gather in the sky. Alecs looked up as he felt a slight drizzle. He looked at me and I just shrugged.

"What're you doing that for?" he squinted his eyes. The raindrops sliding off his face as he stared up at the sky.

"I'm trying to get you to talk," I told him.

"Thals, I'm serious, it's nothing."

Thunder boomed louder and lightning burned in the sky, "Just… humor me."

Alecs's expression was melancholy. I stared at his eyes and they were so cloudy, as cloudy as the storm clouds that loomed above us. "I've been feeling really weird lately. Things just appear in my mind… like… I'm remembering."

"Remembering… like… memories?" I was baffled by what he was telling me. Alecs, for the longest time, couldn't remember anything. He didn't seem bothered by the fact he didn't know his past. That's the most admirable thing about him—the fact that most trivial things couldn't faze him.

"Yeah, just bits and pieces of it though. Like, I remember where I lived when I was born, before I ended up in that alley behind the Statue of Liberty where Percy found me." He paused for a while. He probably wasn't used to talking about such pensive things, especially ones that involved his past. "I just… I thought I would be happy when I finally remembered what happened to me. But now, I just… I want it to go away."

Alecs looked like he was in pain. Like every memory that was finding its way towards him just added to his burden, a burden that just got heavier everyday, not showing any signs of being lifted. He reminded me of Atlas, who had to carry the weight of the sky on his back. His burden seemed to go that deep.

"Well when did this all start?" I asked him, thinking that maybe I could help. Alecs had always been there for me. It was time that maybe I should be there for him.

"It started… on H-Day."

Those words, rung inside my ears… echoing endlessly.

And as thunder boomed once again, I caught Alecs in my arms. He felt cold and he had fallen unconscious. I stood up and hung his arms over my shoulders, and I dragged him into the Big House, where I had hoped Chiron was. I staggered up the steps and almost crashed through the doors of the Big House. Alecs and I were dripping all over the marble floors. I slowly walked forward, carrying both Alecs's weight and mine.

"Thalia… what're you…" Alecs slightly opened his eyes. When he spoke his voice sounded so fragile… so broken. He coughed as his head rested against my shoulder.

"Don't worry Alecs, everything's… everything's going to be okay," I reassured him, forcing a smile for his sake.

He closed his eyes once again, smiling. He fell unconscious again, thought he felt a bit lighter on my shoulders.

I felt my cheeks burning, my temperature rising. My throat began to ache, but I walked on. I used my shoulder to push several doors open, finding my way around the Big House for help. I bore with the pain, remembering how much Alecs needed me right now. I couldn't let him down. I felt my knees weaken, and I lost my balance. I tightened my grip around Alecs and forced a few more steps… I had to. Then the world started fading around me, until everything just went blank.

**A/N: Now for the short endnote-authorsnote! REVIEW! it really makes my day when you do :] oh and not sure when I will update next, but I will for sure update soon!  
**


	6. I Got Too Mad To Name This

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: sorry for the wait! it takes a while to make these chapters since I try to make it like the book :] and it makes me happy when you guys review! it means my hard work is being appreciated, and I love that fuzzy feeling I get when you say you like my stories, so thank you so much! **

**oh, and this chapter [ finally ] has some Casalia bonding time. so enjoyy! :)**

**credits to the lovely Artemis's Lieutenant for editing :]**

I Got Too Mad To Name This…

When I woke up I was on a bed. I sat up and my head immediately started throbbing. I looked around me. My memory was a bit fuzzy. _How did I end up here? _I contemplated a bit, trying to recollect all my thoughts and figure things out. Then I remembered what was more important. _Alecs… where's Alecs!_ I shouted in my head. I swung my feet from the bed and stepped on the marble floor. It felt cold on my bare feet. As I tried taking a few steps, my head began to throb, the pain even more unbearable than before. I knelt down, squeezing my head, trying to make the pain go away.

"Thalia? What are you doing?" Something with horns and some really crazy big hair scolded me. He forced me back onto my bed and made me drink a tall glass of what-do-you-call-it? My mind went blank.

I kept my eyes closed as I sipped the drink through a straw. The taste of freshly cooked blueberry pancakes melted in my mouth. I stopped drinking as soon as most of the throbbing went away. I opened my eyes and saw Grover.

"Grover… Alecs… where?"

He handed me the glass, beckoning me to finish the rest of the… ambrosia, yeah, I think that's what it's called. I followed, relieved as the pain faded away as fast as the blueberry pancakes melted in my mouth.

"Where's Alecs?" I asked, sipping the last of my drink until there was nothing left at all. I handed the glass back to Grover.

"He's in the other room. _Resting_. Something you should be doing right now," he ordered me. The nerve.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"Yes, he's just fine," he reassured me. "One question, though. What were you both doing dripping wet on the floor of Chiron's office?"

She felt relieved knowing that she had at least made it to Chiron's office before she passed out, "Alecs fainted, so I dragged him to the Big House looking for some help, but then… I don't remember after that."

Grover smiled at me. "Well, get some rest. You wouldn't want to scare us like that again… or would you?"

I smirked at him, "Maybe, not sure."

He chuckled as he exited the room. I looked around to see if anyone else was there. When I saw the coast was clear, I jumped off my bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was time to find some answers, and I knew just the person to ask.

* * *

"Nico!" I barged in through the doors of Nico's cabin and headed for him. I gripped his shirt and pinned him against the wall.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Thalia. Glad to see you're feeling better," he said sarcastically.

"Shut up, dead meat," I scoffed. "What did you do?"

"Okay. If you just stop hurting me then _maybe_ we can talk?" he said nonchalantly, trying to loosen my grip.

I tightened my grip and rammed him against the wall once again. "Alecs. You asked me why he was acting weird. I know you know why. So you better tell me or you'll be seeing your daddy sooner than you expected."

"Thalia… I…" he spoke through his suffocation.

He held out one hand and pointed behind me. I tightened my grip as I looked behind me.

A whole skeleton army was heading towards us, and several spirits were reaching out for me. I let go of Nico and brought out my spear and shield. The spirits winced at the sight of Medusa, but the skeletons didn't seem to be bothered. I ran towards them, slashing through the crowd. But they were too much. They just wouldn't die. They grabbed my hands and forced me to let go of my weapons. Aegis and my spear clanged as they fell on the floor. Then the spirits started to creep up above me. They covered my whole body, except for my eyes. I tried to shake them off, but the harder I shook the tighter their hold on me was. I saw Nico in front of me, smirking.

"Who's going to see my daddy now?" he taunted.

I let several thunderbolts emanate from my body, just to show Nico that I wasn't going to go down that easily. But his dead army didn't feel my jolts, though the smell of them burning was just awful.

"If you calm down I'll let you go, and _then_ we can talk."

I nodded stiffly and felt my restraints slowly being lifted up until they just disappeared into the darkness. I glared at Nico, who backed up a bit. I planned on tackling him again but then I just felt the cold, dead stares of his army watching me. So I just ignored the thought.

Nico sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him, signaling me to sit down beside him. I remained standing.

"Fine, it's your loss," he moved over and sat in the middle of his bed, somehow taking up all the space all on his own. Then he looked back at me. "What were you saying?"

"Alecs," I said sluggishly.

"Right. I told you he was acting weird."

"You didn't tell me, you asked me."

"I used words. And you never replied."

"Because he wasn't acting weird before."

"Then why are you talking to me about this now?"

"He just fainted! I bet you knew. I bet you felt it!" I shouted at him.

"Yeah, I did. I felt you faint too. You knew your limits, so why'd you force it? You could've ended up in a worse situation." He looked at me, his stare as cold as the dead surrounding him.

"I had to," I started pacing. "Just, tell me, what's happening to Alecs?"

"You know, he told you. He's remembering."

"Yes, but why now? And why does he feel so distant now, like he's a completely different person?"

Nico looked down and paused for a bit. He cleared his throat before answering, "People change, Thalia."

"Not overnight, they don't," I said with authority.

Nico remained silent after that. He started to fiddle with the ring on his finger. His eyes wandered, looking at everything except for me.

"You know something," I stepped forward, forcing him to look at me. "Why won't you tell me?"

"There's nothing to tell," he looked up at me, still expressionless.

I stomped my foot and another storm started whirling inside campgrounds. Rain started pouring down as thunder roared.

"You have to stop doing that," Nico looked out the window.

"Nico, I don't have time for this."

"Yes you do. We both do. We're immortal," he remarked.

I grumbled, "I'll get to the bottom of this, and when I do, I'm going to make your life a living hell, and you'd wish you weren't immortal."

He smiled at me callously, "looking forward to it."

I stomped out of Nico's cabin, not even looking back and not caring what was in front of me. I just pushed them out of my way and marched on. I knew Nico knew something. He was up to something, he always was, and since I couldn't force it out of him, I would just find everything out by myself.

"Thalia," Nico called out to me. I stopped in my tracks but I didn't turn around to face him. I was too pissed off to even look at him.

"Don't blame me for what happens when you find out the truth," Nico shouted. "Because when you do, I swear to Hades, you'd wish you weren't immortal." I heard a soft cackle as he went back into his cabin.

* * *

I didn't know where I was going. At this point, I really didn't care. Everywhere I went everything looked the same… soaking wet and deserted. Well, the soaking wet was probably my fault. And the reason why everyone was inside was also probably my fault… but whatever. They all deserved it anyway.

"Thalia," another named called out from behind me. My mind was so filled with rage I couldn't place the voice, but I swear on the River Styx, if it was Nico he was _so_ going down.

I turned around and saw Cas. My heart stopped and my mind just went blank. He was soaking wet and was panting heavily. Had he been following me around this whole time? Then I started to get a bit angry and disturbed at the thought of being stalked… so I just glared at him.

"What?" I spat.

"Hey," he grinned, his voice airy.

I raised an eyebrow. He probably ran all over the place just trying to keep up with me, and all he could think of saying was _"hey?"_ This boy's freaking crazy.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I just wanted to talk," he sounded more confident now, more like a Hermes kid, more like… I won't even get to that.

"Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about."

"There's so much to talk about," he moved in closer, now we were talking to each other face to face. "We barely know each other."

"So what, you wanna try and get to know each other? _That's_ what you wanted to talk about?"

"Pretty much," he smiled at her, his eyebrows arched up and his expression looked like "I'm ready to get in trouble for doing something a Hermes kid would do".

"You're insane," I scoffed at him.

"Just… humor me," he sat down on the ground. I just stared blankly, those words sounding all too familiar to me. Then I looked around. We were sitting somewhere almost crossing the borders, because just a walks away from where we were, my tree was standing proudly with the Golden Fleece hanging from it, protecting the camp.

In the corner of my eye I saw Cas looking up at me, staring at me expectantly, like I would just give in to his pleading looks.

…And, wow, tough luck, I did. I sat down in front of him. He leaned back, his fingers digging into the grass.

"So…" I said awkwardly, "tell me about yourself…" I said in a singsong way.

He laughed at how awkward I was with small talk. I usually commanded a conversation, so I wasn't used to not knowing what to say. I'm Thalia Grace, I have something to say to _everything_… or maybe not?

"Well my real name's Cassius Beckendorf," he started. _Beckendorf… where have I heard that name before?_

"I grew up in Los Angeles with my, well I guess foster parents, since Hermes is my real dad," he continued.

"Yeah… you said that he claimed you when you were thirteen right?" I asked him.

"Yup, when Nico brought me to Olympus."

I gaped at him, "Nico, WHAT?"

"He brought me to Olympus on my thirteenth birthday," he sounded as though this was something normal. "He said that my real father was there and he wanted to see me."

"And you were cool with that?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I mean… my dad wanted to see me."

"No I mean, how did you feel when they broke it to you, that your dad wasn't _really_ your dad and your real dad was one of the gods from the myths?" I remembered when I first found out my dad was Zeus. I thought my mom was either high or drunk when she told me (and she probably was), but then she gave me my spear and Aegis. I thought everything was just a bad April fool's prank until my mom actually sat down with me and talked me through it. Then I ran away. Way to handle closure, right?

"Well I freaked out, but then I got over it when I saw my dad. Then I believed it. What really got me panicking was when Nico told me I had to leave and go to Camp Half-Blood. I didn't get why I had to leave, I mean, nothing bad happened to me. But then he told me I had to go here, since this is where my real dad wanted me to go. I tried lots of times to get back, but Nico had an unfair advantage," he scratched the back of his head. I remembered all the times Nico tricked me into something by either shadow traveling me there or using his undead army. Sneaky little son of a god…

"Now, tell me about _you_." He leaned forward and looked at me.

"Well what do you wanna know about me?"

"I guess… _everything_."

"Wow, everything. Now that's such an easy story to tell," I said sarcastically. He just smiled at me.

"Well my name's just _Thalia_, and I ran away from home when I was like twelve since I found out my dad was Zeus and well, my mom just wasn't being a mom to me then. She was jobless and stuff and well… I thought I didn't need her," I paused for a moment. I didn't know how hard my story was to take in, even if I had talked about it before.

"You ran away from home?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to get away."

"But where were you going to go?" Cas's voice was suddenly filled with worry as if I was telling him something I was planning on doing, instead of something I already did.

"I don't know. I didn't think about it. I just ran away."

"But you were alone, what were you planning on doing?"

"Well at first I was alone, yeah, but then I…" I cleared my throat. "I found a boy, his name was Luke Castellan."

Cas's eyes widened at the mention of Luke's name. I wonder if he still remembered when I called him Luke… I sure hope not.

"Yeah, he ran away from his mom too because she was nuts. So for a time it was just the both of us. We were family to each other, since we were all that each of us had."

He nodded and listened intently.

"Then we found seven year old Annabeth."

"Annabeth? As in… Percy's girlfriend, counselor for Athena, caution when angry… that Annabeth?"

"She ran away from home too."

"I would never have guessed…"

I sniggered. "So after that it was the three of us. Fighting monsters… fighting the hunters… and sometimes each other."

He chuckled like he was remembering it too as I told it.

"Then Grover found us and tried bringing us to Camp Half-Blood. We almost made it too, but then monsters were on our tracks. So well… I sacrificed myself to get Annabeth, Grover and… Luke through, and my dad turned me into that tree over there so I wouldn't die," I pointed to my pine tree.

"Wait, so if you got turned into a tree… how are you here with me now?"

"The Golden Fleece brought me back to life."

The clouds parted and you could see the blue sky again. The rain weakened to a drizzle until it just stopped falling. I felt the sunshine bounce off my skin as it started to glow.

"Well that's pretty much my whole life story…" I laughed.

"Your story beats mine by a long shot," he joked.

For a while, no one was talking. Both of just laughed at nothing. Which made me feel really warm and fuzzy inside, since I haven't done that in so long. The hunters were always so serious, especially Lady Artemis. Sometimes I wished they would lighten up. And well, everyone was stressed about H-Day, so no one really had time to stop and laugh at nothing anymore.

"Well then, I guess you can say we're really friends now," Cas beamed.

I laughed. "Alright then," I held out my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Cas Beckendorf." _Seriously… where have I heard that name before? It's ringing _so many_ bells but I just can't place it…_

Cas chuckled, and shook my hand, "Nice to meet you too, Thalia Grace." I let go and looked up at the sky then at him. His smile still made a thousand butterflies flutter around in my stomach, but I ignored it. I ignored everything that popped in my head that moment.

But then, I wish I didn't. Then maybe I would get some answers like… _how did he know my last name?_

**A/N: what did you think? like it? I'd really love to know what you thought, so, REVIEW! (:**_  
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	7. A Message From THE Messenger

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: thank you to Artemis's Lieutenant for beta-ing! you`re awesome: I bet Camp Half-Blood misses you already!**

**I`m actually happy with the way this story`s turning out! :] I don`t have a plan for how this story might end or go, but I have a general idea of the biggest things that`s gonna happen and stuff. if any of you have any ideas, they`re more than welcome!**

**this chapter has more Casalia bonding time! and well, a little surprise P: you`ll just have to read to find out more.**

**enjoy and tell me what you think... that means: REVIEW!**

**ps. the song " thinking of you " by Katy Perry (which by the way I do NOT own) reminds me of this story. hahaha!  
**

A Message From THE Messenger

Last night, I finally decided to go back to the Artemis cabin. It felt really weird being there. I used to be comforted with all the hunters around me, but right now, it was as if I liked it better alone in the Zeus cabin. But I couldn't stay there forever. I was Artemis' lieutenant, I had to stay in the Artemis cabin, and it was my _duty_. I guess it was nice while it lasted.

I sat on the floor of the Artemis cabin and stared out the window. It was raining again, but the raindrops sparkled as they fell from the sky. The campers were all outside, continuing their activities even while it was raining. She spotted the Stoll brothers running around, hysterically singing _'Singing in the rain! I'm singing in the rain!'_

I smiled. _At least someone was enjoying the rain_.

I turned around and looked at the empty cabin. All the hunters were also outside, probably owning the Apollo cabin again at archery. They invited me to join them, but I refused. I didn't really feel like archery today. Honestly, I didn't really feel like anything today. My brain was all fuzzy and I just didn't understand why I was feeling this way. I felt like I was starting to doubt all the decisions I ever made, if I had made the right ones. And I _never_ did this… but why now?

"Hey Thalia," Kate greeted beside me. Was she there that whole time?

Kate was one of the younger huntresses. She had joined us about a few months ago, and she was just nine years old. She was about to turn ten, but she joined the hunt, so now she'll never be ten. She will never reach a double-digit age. I felt sorry for her, but then again, Kate didn't seemed bothered by it, so why should I?

"Hi Katie," I smiled at her. "Katie" was my pet name for her. "What's up? I thought you were outside with the others."

"Yeah but I got bored so I went here," Kate stuck her tongue out. "Why aren't _you_ with the others?"

I smiled at her. "Because I don't really feel like owning the Apollo cabin today."

"So what, you're just going to sit here and do nothing?" she said to me fiercely. I think I taught this girl how to be sassy a little _too_ well.

"I hope not," I laughed.

She looked at me, her cheeks puffed up, "Thalia, seriously, what's wrong? It isn't like you to be like this!"

I sighed, "Well, actually, my friend's kind of in trouble. I want to visit, but I can't, since… Remember I escaped yesterday when they wanted me to rest? Well, now they're punishing me by not allowing me to go back there."

"So what? Why don't you just visit her for a while and just sneak back out before anyone notices you were ever there?" I laughed, not because that was what I was planning to do from the beginning, but because she quickly assumed that my friend was a _girl_. It made sense though, I mean, why in Zeus's name would Artemis' lieutenant be worried about a _friend_ that's a _boy_. Sounds kind of weird, right?

"You're _Thalia_, you've never let anything as stupid as being punished stop you from doing whatever you wanted to do!" she had a point there.

"Okay then, I guess I'm going to the Big House," I stood up and walked over to the door.

"You aren't really going to the Big House, are you?" Kate asked suspiciously.

I turned around and lied through my teeth, "Nope, I am. So just tell the others I'll be out for a while, alright?"

Thunder crackled in the distance. Maybe that was my dad helping me in convincing Kate… or maybe that was my dad wanting to singe me for lying… well now I didn't really wanna know.

Kate's eyes were wide and naïve. "Yes!" she said promptly.

I smiled at her and walked out the door.

* * *

I sprinted over to the… yeah you guessed it, _not_ the Big House. I was heading for the beach, hoping that a lucky coincidence would happen and I would find whomever I needed to find there.

But when I got to the beach, no one was there. I walked around. I could feel the sand sinking underneath my booted feet. I moved closer towards the shore, and I felt the breeze, my hair moving with the wind. It was relaxing here, especially with the raindrops lightly trickling down. Maybe this was why Percy liked it here so much. I sat down. I watched the waves crash down and the water touching the tips of my shoe, then returning back, then doing it all over again. Maybe I didn't need to see anyone. Maybe I just needed to see this.

"Nope, I think you still need me."

I turned to my left and saw a man standing beside me, looking at me. His eyebrows were upturned and his ears pointed a bit. He had a mop of curly, salt and pepper hair and he wore a loose blue shirt that said, "watch your wallet" in big white letters and gray jogging pants. He smirked at me.

I bowed my head and smiled at him, "Hermes?"

"Thalia?" he gaped then took a seat beside me.

"So what brings you here?" I asked him, glancing from him to the shore, peaking at the waves breaking.

"Like I said, I think you still need me," he smiled.

"Do you know what's happening to Alecs?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, yes, but that's not what I came to talk to you about."

"But that's what I want to talk about."

"Maybe some other time."

I sighed. I knew it was useless arguing with a god.

"So what do you need to talk to me about then?" I muttered.

"Cas."

I sat up straighter. "What about Cas? He's your son, isn't he? He told me Nico brought him to Olympus and you claimed him."

"Well, yes. Don't you find that quite odd?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"He is my son, and yes, I did claim him, in front of the other gods too, might I add, but I remember where Alecs came from more than him. And if you remember correctly, I _don't_ know where Alecs came from."

"What are you saying?"

"You have to figure that out yourself. What else did he tell you?"

I pursed my lips and paused for a bit. "He told me he was from Los Angeles and that his real names was Cassius Beckendorf."

He chuckled, "Well he told you quite a lot. I feel like you know him better than I do."

"Really now? You're a god. Of course you know him more than me."

"Yes, but he told you, he never told me."

"He didn't have to."

He chuckled, "You really are Zeus's daughter, with that mouth of yours."

"Thank you?"

He remained silent for a moment, "You still haven't realized it… have you?" he looked at me.

"I don't think I have, since I don't know what you're talking about."

He turned his head and looked at the ocean, "You'll figure it out." He looked at me and winked. "I think you should drop by the arena today, and just visit Alecs tomorrow. He's out cold now, so you won't get anything out of him today."

"Are you telling me he'll be okay by tomorrow?"

"Maybe," he chuckled. He handed me a paper bag.

"What's this?" I took it suspiciously.

"There's a tuna sandwich and some medicine in there."

"…For what?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that," he snickered. "The tuna sandwich is for _eating_. Not for you though. And the medicine… you'll see."

He stood up and I felt myself stand up with him.

"I have to go now. Just tell me how it goes… when we meet again," he winked. He motioned for me to turn away, and I followed. Where Hermes once stood was a bright light, and then nothing.

I looked at the bag he gave me and shrugged. I walked forward and felt myself step on something that wasn't sand. I stepped back and bent down. There was a crumpled piece of paper that said:

_"Cas has a funny birthmark near his left armpit. He told me that much. Weird right?_

_Yours Truly, Hermes."_

Right after I read it, the message began to dissolve until it melted right out of my fingers and into the sand below. I smiled remembering the funny message.

_Note to self: ask Cas about his funny birthmark._

_

* * *

_

I followed Hermes' orders and immediately headed for the arena right after our little chat. I sprinted as fast as I could to avoid the hunters who were, like I guessed, owning the Apollo cabin at archery.

When I finally got to the arena, I saw Cas there, playing with Percy's giant pooch, Mrs. O'Leary. He was scratching her (giant) belly, as she lay plopped on her back on the arena floor. I slowly walked over towards him, one hand gripping onto the paper bag and the other hand inside my pocket.

"Hey Cas," I grinned at him.

He looked up at me and beamed, his blue eyes twinkling as a few raindrops slid down his cheeks. "Hey!" he exclaimed, his voice still in that kind of voice people used to either talk to babies or puppies. I just have no idea why he would've used that voice on Mrs. O'Leary though.

He tickled Mrs. O'Leary some more before standing up and meeting me, "sorry about that. I guess she was just feeling lonely and I probably reminded her of my dad."

I couldn't figure out why Mrs. O'Leary would be comforted by Cas because he reminded her of _Hermes_, because Hermes didn't give me that "dog-person" vibe… maybe because he didn't give me a person vibe at all since he was a god, but still. "That's a SHE?" I gaped at him.

He chuckled, "Yes she is." He looked back at Mrs. O'Leary who was finally right side up. She was still looking at Cas, her tail wagging so violently I was afraid it would cause a tornado.

"So what brings you here little miss sunshine?" he asked me sarcastically. He probably knew I was the reason why the camp had been _missing_ sunshine these past few days.

"Actually, I'm not so sure. Why don't you tell me why you're here first?" I decided not to tell him that I saw his dad and he told me to go here.

"I wanted to practice sword-fighting again but Mrs. O'Leary here distracted me," he laughed as he glanced at the hellhound who looked like she was going to pounce. I was prepared to run if she did.

"Cool, cool…" I bit my lip and looked up at the sky. "Soo… what's up?" I asked him awkwardly.

"Um…" he looked up, "the sky?"

I glared at him and punched him lightly.

"Ow, hey, that hurt!" he stuck his tongue out playfully as he scratched the arm I punched.

_"WOOF! WOOF!"_ Mrs. O'Leary barked.

Every time I looked at her I always seemed to think, _Holy Zeus! That dog is going to kill me!_

"Hey Cas, this whole time you've been here at Camp Half-Blood, has the _only_ thing you've done practice sword-fighting?" I asked suspiciously.

He paused for a while and laughed nervously, "…kind of… no."

"Really? What else have you done?" I crossed my arms and asked him cockily.

"I stole from the gift shop… does that count?" he screeched.

"Seriously? You haven't even tried archery, swimming in the lake, the climbing wall?"

"Nope. They tried getting me to, but I always slipped away while they weren't looking and went here. I don't really _feel_ like doing anything else."

I rolled my eyes, "You're from Los Angeles aren't you? Aren't there beaches like everywhere there?"

"Yeah. I used to surf."

"Then why don't you try that here?"

"I don't have my board. And the waves aren't big enough," Cas tried to make excuses. His cheeks reddened a bit.

"We can find Percy to make the waves and we can figure the rest out, c'mon!" I grabbed his hand and started dragging him out of the arena.

"But I haven't surfed in ages… I probably forgot how! C'mon, Thalia!"

I ignored him and continued dragging him out. We were almost out of the arena when I felt the ground shake and I heard a familiar _"WOOF! WOOF!"_ slowly inching near us. I stopped and turned around, seeing a big black _thing_ heading towards us.

"Oh—my—gods—" I muttered.

Mrs. O'Leary pounced on Cas who yelped as the hellhound tackled him. Cas flailed his arms around trying to get Mrs. O'Leary off of him, but she was just too heavy. I stood there motionless for a while, trying to figure out what to do, when I remembered the paper bag. I reached in for the tuna sandwich.

"Mrs. O'Leary! Look what I have!" I waved the tuna sandwich.

She looked up and then spotted the tuna sandwich in my hand. She began panting heavily, getting off of Cas and heading towards me. I had a really bad feeling she was going to body slam me next so I threw the tuna sandwich as far as I could screaming, "GO GET IT!"

Mrs. O'Leary chased after it barking _"WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"_ loudly. I could only guess she was saying, _"FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!"_

I admired my handiwork for a while when I remembered Cas. He sat up and covered his face. I bent down beside him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so…" he took out his hand and looked at it. It was covered in blood.

I reached in for the paper bag and took out the medicine, "Where does it hurt?"

He turned his face towards me and pointed to his left cheek, which had blood smudged all over it.

I poured the medicine on it and almost immediately the blood dissolved and the wound faded into a scar.

"Thanks," Cas opened his left eye and looked at me. "How'd you know Mrs. O'Leary liked tuna?"

I laughed and shrugged. _Thank you Hermes!_

I stood up and held my hand out. He reached for it and I pulled him up. He dusted himself and then smiled, "You know, surfing doesn't sound so bad anymore."

I laughed at Cas. His blond hair was even messier than usual. He wore the signature Hermes grin, and his eyes had even more of a gleam now than it did before. And now he had scar under his left eye… Cas had a scar under his left eye…

_Just like… oh dear gods… no… it can't… oh no… _NO WAY!

I froze.

**A/N: d`you like this chapter? tell me what you think! & ideas are more than welcome (:**


	8. Hermes Kids With Hermes Treats

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: thank you to Artemis's Lieutenant for being an awesome beta! and thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted, faved, etc. I really appreciate the support :) ideas are always, always welcome! anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**

**I had to split this chapter into two since I was worried it might get a bit too long if I fit everything I wanted to fit into one chapter. I have to idea when I`m going to update next, soon, I hope! :)  
**

Hermes Kids With Hermes Treats

Just so you all know, right after that incident Cas and I had with Mrs. O'Leary—which ended with him getting that scar under his left eye—I bolted. I heard Cas calling from behind me but I ignored him. I wanted to stop. I didn't want to run away anymore. That's all I've been doing; running away from my problems. It's why I became a hunter in the first place, I ran from the prophecy. And I have no idea how many times I've ran away from Cas at this point. I just didn't know how to deal with such… serious things. I guess you could say I'm afraid, I mean the only time I actually faced my problems was when I stood up to all those monsters and took a stand at Half-Blood Hill, and we all know that didn't end so well.

I kept running until I was sucked up and everything just went black and I couldn't move… I couldn't run anymore. When I realized it was useless to keep struggling, I just closed my eyes and let the tears fall down.

I felt someone hold my shoulders. I opened my eyes and saw Nico in front of me, crouching down to meet my eyes as I sat down on the ground hugging my knees.

He smirked. "Thals, how many times do we have to go through this?"

I wiped my tears and tried to smile. "I don't know. Every time I run away from something?"

He sighed and sat down in front of me. "Thalia, I know you don't want people to think you're weak, and trust me, they don't… but seriously, what are you doing?"

I hugged my knees tighter and shrugged.

"Okay, so what's wrong?"

"If this is your attempt to be concerned, let me just tell you that you're _failing_," I scoffed.

He laughed. "Hey, at least I'm trying!"

I laughed. _Yeah, at least he was_.

"I've just… got a lot of things on my mind, that's all," I told him.

"You wanna talk about it?" he smiled awkwardly.

"I think you already know."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Well, that's true."

I let go of my knees and rested them on the ground. I looked around. We were in a grassy plain that had a big tree in the middle. The sky was dark, but there were no stars. There was a slight fog when you looked up. And I had to admit… I had this weird feeling I've been here before.

"Nico, where are we?"

"Oh, we're in the Underworld."

My jaw dropped. "You brought me to the _Underworld_? Are you _crazy_?"

"Don't worry, this part isn't dangerous. It's near Elysium fields," he pointed to a place that looked a lot like what I imagined heaven to be. "See, look. You see whatever you think is paradise over there, it's really nice."

I smiled.

"So why'd you bring me here?" I asked.

"Why not?"

"Well the last time you brought me somewhere to talk, you brought me to Mount Othrys. Why'd you bring me here? I didn't kill anyone this time."

"You didn't kill Luke."

"That's what I said, but you said otherwise."

He stuck his tongue you. "Even when you're flustered, you still have such a big mouth."

I looked at him cockily.

"I just felt I'd be more comfortable if we talked in my element," he said. "And what's more _my element_ than the Underworld, right?"

"I guess…"

There was an awkward silence between us.

Nico's smile faded. "You don't recognize this place… do you?"

I glanced around. My gaze fell on the tree, which had a few branches that had snapped and were now hanging messily in between the leaves.

"I think I know the tree, I had a dream about it once," I said, making it sound like all my experiences with trees wasn't all that good, plus being turned into one. "I… kind of fell of it, you don't think _I_ broke those branches in my dream, do you?"

Nico bit his lip.

"You know something," I said. I felt myself slowly standing up in annoyance. "You know something you're not telling me about."

"Most of the time that _is_ the case," Nico sighed, standing up to face me. "But this time, I'm kind of shocked you haven't realized yet. I wouldn't be hiding it from you if I knew you were ready to take it, and judging by the fact you've realized _nothing_, it means you aren't ready," Nico's voice was loud and commanding. Maybe this was how he talks to his undead army, that's why they obey him so readily.

"I realized something was wrong with Alecs didn't I? And you haven't told me anything," I retorted.

"That wasn't my choice to make," he pursed his lips. "And you have to realize other things before I tell you about Alecs. Things have to happen."

"He passed out and is out cold in the infirmary _right now!_ What _else_ has to happen, Nico?" I snapped.

"Well, you have to find out why he's starting to remember things."

I bit my lip and looked down.

"I… I saw Hermes," I muttered. "But even _he_ wouldn't tell what was going on. It really…" I paused, "… pissed me off."

Nico chortled. "I know it did."

I glared at him. "You're not very good with pep talk, are you, corpse brain?"

"Actually, I'm not, but I try."

I sat back down on the grass, crossing both my legs and my arms in rebellion. Nico followed soon after, but he sat down more casually than me.

"Why run away from Cas so much? He doesn't bite," he started. "And contrary to your belief, neither does Mrs. O'Leary. She just likes to pounce—it's her way of showing her affection."

"Ha-ha, very funny. That dog was out to get me, di Angelo, I swear," I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. "And besides, when she _'showed her affection'_ to Cas, she gave him a new scar."

"The one under his eye?"

"That's the one. You heard about it?"

"No, I just know."

I grunted and shook my head.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked me.

"… Do about what?"

"Well first of all, you can't just keep running away from him. Sooner or later he's going to catch on and _actually_ catch you," he sniggered. "And second of all, Alecs."

He didn't need to say any more.

"_Hermes_ won't tell me anything, _you_ won't tell me anything, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Maybe stop running away and just face the music?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but no voice came out. I looked away and sneered. "The music you're talking about sounds kind of like _Jesse McCartney_ to me, I'm more of a _Green Day_ girl, but I don't mind _My Chemical Romance_ either, or maybe even _Paramore_ or _All Time Low_… but I _definitely_ don't do _Jesse McCartney_—"

"Thalia," Nico deadpanned.

"Okay, okay, I get it, jeez, lighten up would you?" I stuck my tongue out.

He narrowed his eyes at me then laughed.

I stood up. "Well I gotta get back and sort things out. Is there another way back besides shadow—"

But it was too late. Nico had already yanked me by the arm and I was engulfed once again by the unpleasant darkness.

* * *

I fell on my butt on the Artemis cabin floor. It was completely empty, and I just have to say, the room was a mess. For a girls' cabin, it looked even worse than the Hermes cabin when I first got here. I stood up and brushed Underworld dirt off and headed for my stuff near the window when I saw something shiny on top of my bed. I walked over towards it only to find a sword that looked oddly familiar with a sticky note with messily scrawled handwriting placed on it.

I grabbed the note and read it:

"_Just in case."_

I flipped the note and spun it around, looking at in different angles, but those were the only words written. I grabbed the sword and as I held it, a cold, tingling feeling rushed within me. It was a mix between a warm familiarity and bitter resentment. I didn't even know it was possible for someone to feel that way.

I held the sword up higher to examine it. I saw inscribed on the hilt words I thought would never be heard again.

"Backbiter…" I whispered.

I examined the sword some more, just to see if this was real and I wasn't just imaging it, when I heard heavy knocking on the door. I immediately hid the sword behind me as I walked over to the door.

When I opened it I found Cas, looking absolutely flustered and sweating bullets. He panted heavily as he looked at me.

"Where… go… looked… everywhere—" he said in between breaths.

"Nico brought me somewhere out of camp, it was an emergency," I didn't lie, I just left out a few details. "Were you looking for me?"

Cas took a few more heavy breaths then straightened up. "You ran away from me… again. Seriously, what's up?" he screeched. "Is something wrong with me? Do I smell bad or something, because I take a bath everyday—"

I laughed so loud it actually boomed. Cas gave me another puzzled look. That seemed to be his favorite look to give me.

"Nothing's wrong with you Cas. And you definitely do _not_ smell bad," I said, remembering that he kind of smelled like watermelons for some reason (I liked watermelons). "I just remembered something."

I suddenly remembered Backbiter. I gripped it tighter then swung my arm carefully so it was now in between Cas and me. Cas looked at it like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. I tried to force a smile to hide my worry. "This is for you. It's a really good sword, one of my… um, good friends used to own it. I'm giving it to you… use it, um, wisely." I handed him the sword.

Cas took it gingerly. He glowed. "Thank you Thalia, thank you _so much!_" he said, baffled. I saw him pinch himself slightly and his smile grew bigger when he realized it wasn't a dream.

"Why don't you try it out in the arena?" I suggested.

He looked at me and nodded. "That's a great idea! You should come with me, you _gave_ it to me after all!"

I glanced back at my cabin. "Yeah sure, I just have to check a few things."

"Sure, I'll wait out here," he said, not taking his eyes of Backbiter.

_I don't know whether to be worried that Backbiter had somehow turned up or the fact that Cas seems to be in love with it._

I walked over to my bed and saw another note messily placed on top of my pillow. I reached over and read it, a smile slowly inching onto my face.

_Your welcome!_

_Yours truly, Hermes.

* * *

_

The next day, I immediately rushed to the Big House when I heard a distant horn blow signaling breakfast _and_ that visiting hours had begun. I rushed out of my cabin so quickly I didn't even bother changing out of my pajamas, so I ran to the Big House wearing a dark blue sweatshirt that said "Zeus Your Daddy", gray jogging pants and those slippers they give you in hotels that I sneaked out because they were so comfy.

I banged on the doors and was welcomed by Grover.

"Well, well, the criminal finally returns to the scene of the crime."

"Shut up Grover, where's Alecs?"

Grover pointed to the bed at the far end. I smiled what seemed to be a cross between a grin and a disgusted smirk. As I walked over there, I felt my pocket suddenly grow heavier. I instinctively reach in and took out a package that was wrapped around brown paper. A message was scribbled over it in a rush.

_This is the last one. I'm not allowed to help anymore or your dad will kill me. _

_Ironic, huh?_

_Make sure to unwrap the brown paper before giving it to Alecs._

_Yours truly, Hermes._

I followed Hermes' orders and unwrapped the paper. Inside was an oddly shaped box wrapped in different kinds of wrapping paper on different spots, stuck together sloppily with masking tape. There was a card on one that had (this time) the neat handwriting of Hermes that said, _To Alecs, the gods bless you._

I smiled as I walked over towards Alecs' bed.

He was completely engulfed as he stared at a photograph he had been holding blankly. I made sure my last few steps towards him were loud enough to snap him out of it.

He looked up at me from the picture and beamed.

"Thals! You don't know how _happy_ I am to see you! Are you okay?"

I couldn't help but snicker as I shook my head. "Alecs, _you're_ the one that passed out and now bedridden, remember?"

I handed him the package.

"For me, wow thanks Thals…" he said as he ripped the card of and read it. His eyes seemed to water, but he blinked several times trying to hide the tears. He ripped the wrapping paper off, revealing a folded dark, military green cloth. He unfolded it and held it up. It was a newsboy hat.

He smiled and placed it on, then shouted, _"Maia!"_ his hat sprouting wings simultaneously.

I felt a warm feeling inside me as I looked at how happy Alecs was. He was even doing a little victory dance as he sat up from his bed.

"Oh yeah—a hat—with wings—like my dad!" he crooned, wings fluttering as Alecs swayed side to side.

**A/N: isn`t Hermes such a great father? oh and " Zeus Your Daddy " is kind of like a pun of " Who's Your Daddy ", if you didn`t notice.  
**

**listen to " Oh Darling " by Plug-In Stereo. it`s an amazing song ;) review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**

**ps. I don`t know any of the bands or songs mentioned.

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	9. Alecs Remembers

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: thank you to Artemis's Lieutenant for being such a patient beta and for all the support she`s given this story :)**

**this chapter is kind of short, but it`s sweet. it`s like a tiny step before the next chapter, which is kind of like a the BIIIIG climax of the story. revelations will be made next chapter, but you have to read this one first, to understand it, that is.**

**so I have no idea when I`ll update next. chapter ten is already prepared, I just need to make like chapter eleven first and . . . well, you get the picture. same routine as before :)**

**soo, enjoy!**

Alecs Remembers

"Well, I'm glad you're happy now," I told Alecs.

He stopped doing his victory dance a while, smiled at me from ear to ear, then hugged me—really tight. I figured if I wasn't so worried about him I would've felt strangled, but instead, I hugged him back.

When we broke apart, he looked at me, a smile still plastered on his face. "When did you see my dad?" he asked.

"Yesterday. We talked," I told him, smiling.

"What about?" he said. He whispered _"Maia!"_ to his hat and the wings vanished with a small _POOF!_

"Just… stuff."

He looked at me suspiciously, with an eyebrow up and a mischievous smirk. "What kinda stuff?"

I glared at him mockingly. "Stuff that if you don't keep your nose out off you'd be blown into smithereens. "

He pretended to look frightened. "Oh no! Smithereens!" he shouted sarcastically, placing his hands on his cheeks like '_the Scream_'.

I chortled. Alecs grinned at me.

"So, how've you been doing? You—er, holding up?" I asked him with an awkward smile.

He chuckled. "I've been doing great actually… well… sort of."

I looked at him suspiciously with a sort of you-better-explain-yourself kind of look.

"I kind of drift in and out of consciousness. I usually pass out right when I'm remembering a memory with really strong emotions… then sometimes, I dream about it."

I remained silent, beckoning him to continue.

"I still haven't remembered a lot of things though. Like, who my mother is exactly," he laughed. "I just remember she was really deranged and had green eyes."

I forced myself to laugh along with him.

"And I still don't know who that man was, but I think if I just _saw_ him I'd remember. I usually pass out before his memory gets sort of _un-blurred_."

He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"And I don't know why, but," he handed me the photograph he had been holding on to. "I dream of that a lot."

I looked at the picture. It was creased and crumpled because it had been folded, and the edges of the picture were slightly ripped. The colors on the photograph were slightly faded, and there blotches on it, I guessed that maybe because it had gotten wet. It took a while for me to register, but when it did, I felt my hands start to tremble.

It was a picture of Luke and I while we were traveling, just the two of us. We were covered in dirt. This was when we accidentally had our pictures taken by a photographer who was taking various birds—luckily he didn't seem to notice he got a clear picture of us. That night, he had printed the pictures and went straight to bed. Luke and I stayed up watching him until the lights went off in his cabin. Then we both snuck into his tent and grabbed the stack of photos. We brought them all outside, browsed through all of them until we came across ours, and then we threw the pictures back into the tent (we didn't bother being neat with them, we were in a hurry) and dashed off before he woke up.

I thought Luke had thrown it away right after we got it back. It never crossed my mind that he had actually kept it all these years.

"Where…" my voice came out higher than it usually was. I cleared my throat. "Where did you get this?" I asked, my voice still squeaking a bit.

"Nico gave it to me when he visited me yesterday."

"But… I thought you were out cold yesterday. Didn't wake up at all."

"I didn't. He left it on my bedside table with a note stuck on it. He told me he knew I was dreaming and that this might help. I've been trying to figure out why since this morning… then you got here," he smiled.

"But I—"

"Didn't know Luke kept the picture? I know. No one knew. Nico found it while he was helping Percy and the others clean up. He kept it before anyone could see it."

"He didn't tell me—"

"That he had it? He knew what would happen. You know how you get when it comes to Luke or anything that reminds you of him. Nico's known you long enough to know not to bring it up until you were ready."

"Then why are you—"

"Showing this to you?"

I really wished Alecs would stop finishing my sentences like that. I could talk for myself (well maybe, I think I might have lost my voice because of all the shock). "What do you think? I think you're ready. I've known you long enough to know."

I glanced at him and smiled as he looked at me reassuringly. I was still shaking as I held on to the picture.

"You… you said you dreamed about this?" I muttered.

"Yeah, I dreamed about it. From when you both stepped out of your hiding spot and accidentally slid down the mud, had your picture taken, then hid in the bushes, to when you both watched him for the rest of the day and waited, ran into the tent, ran out, took your picture, tossed the rest of them back in, and climbed back to your hiding spot."

I bit my lip. _How did he know? I never told _anyone_ about this. No one…_

"I know it's weird, but that's what I dreamed about. And not only that," he took a deep breath. "I dreamed about the first time you met Luke, um, well no, the first time _Luke_ met _you_."

"What?" I stammered as I looked up at him.

"I dreamed about the first time Luke met you," Alecs smiled at me.

"You saw wh-when Luke saved me from the…" I couldn't finish my sentence. I bit my lip furiously, forcing back the tears, but I still felt them coming. I looked down at the picture, I saw the faded colors through my blurry vision, and watched as my tears added to the blotches on the picture. I closed my eyes.

I felt Alecs pull me into a hug. He held me tightly and whispered to me reassuringly. "I don't know how I know, but I know that you meant a lot to him. From the first time he saw you," he paused. "To the last time he saw you."

Alecs held me tight as I let it all out. I tried to stop, but the more I tried to, the more seemed to come out of me. I held on to the picture tightly, holding on to the memory.

I pulled away and wiped my tears. I looked up at Alecs and smiled. I didn't say anything. But I didn't have to. Alecs looked at me and chortled.

I handed him back the picture but he shook his head and gave it pushed my hand away. "You keep it. I dream about it enough," he joked.

I laughed meekly. "Thanks," I whispered. I folded the paper and placed it in my pocket.

"No problemo, Señorita Thalita!" he imitated a Mexican accent, and I had to admit, it wasn't too shabby, but I didn't _dare_ tell him that—he wouldn't let me hear the end of it.

"How long will you be stuck in here?" I asked him.

"I don't know, let me ask," Alecs smirked at me. _"Grover, come!"_ He demanded in the snootiest voice possible, and with an expression that looked like he had been dying to do that for the longest time.

Grover ambled inside wearing a frilly headband with holes in them to fit his horns and a frilly white apron tied around his waist—it fell awkwardly down his goat legs.

"Your highness?" he scoffed.

"What did you do to him?" I whispered to Alecs, stifling my laughter.

"He told me to make myself comfortable, so I felt this was necessary," he whispered back. "How long must I remain here?" he turned to Grover.

"Just until this afternoon, your majesty," he bowed mockingly.

"You mean to say I am to be leaving shortly?"

"Yes," he replied. "_Not short enough…_" he grumbled to himself.

"What was that?" Alecs put a hand to his ear, beckoning Grover to speak up.

"Nothing, I'm outta here," Grover ripped off the frilly headband and threw on the grown, stomping on it several times before walking out.

Alecs sighed. "Well it was good while it lasted. Maybe I went a bit too far with the apron?" he turned to me.

"_Maybe_?" I told him, my words oozing with sarcasm.

He beamed at me. "Fine, okay, I get it," he chortled. "The good news, though, is that I'm _finally_ getting out of here!"

"You up to a climbing wall race later?" I asked him casually.

"You bet! I'm taller than you now, I'll have an advantage," he looked at me smugly.

"Yeah, but you usually end up awkwardly positioned in the end," I teased.

He thought for—I'm guessing to come up with a witty retort—a moment then gave up. He sighed. "Touché."

I stayed with Alecs until Grover—who, fortunately, changed out of his frilly apron—gave Alecs the heads-up that he could leave. Honestly, Alecs was a bit too eager to get out of bed. He jumped off and got his foot caught on his crumpled blanket, nearly falling face-first on the cold, hard floor. He was lucky enough to be wearing the hat and shouted just in time.

"Oh thanks the gods! I could've broken my nose," he sighed. He landed on the floor with a slight thud (he hadn't learned to control his hat yet).

"Well, you wouldn't have almost broken your nose if you'd gotten out of bed properly," I joshed.

"Whatever," he waved his hand dismissively. "Race you to the climbing wall?"

"You were _just_ sick! Besides, do you really wanna challenge a hunter—" but he had already sprinted away before I could even finish my sentence.

I chortled. I stood there and waited for a bit before running after him, waiting for the signal to follow.

_BANG._

I heard something loud crash. I walked leisurely out of the room, where I was pleased to find Alecs in a crumpled heap on the floor.

I bent down beside him. "I think that maybe, in spite of everything you told me about finally remembering things, you've forgotten how to open a door."

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN DUNNNN! review and tell me what you think :) the next chapter will be longer, I swear. this chapter is short & sweet, hihihi.**


	10. Nico Tells Me The Truth

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: Thank you to Artemis's Lieutenant for beta-ing and supporting me with my story! and also, thank you to whoever nominated this story for a Verita Award, it really meant so much and it seriously made my day [:**

**this is kind of the chapter wherein everything happens, I`ll tell you that. it`s like, the climax of everything and the most eventful and stuff. I hope I wrote it well enough for you guys! (:**

**I`ll be taking a short break from writing this, to let everything sink in and stuff and to just organize all my thoughts so the rest of the story won`t end up crappy and rushed, because that would totally suck. anyway, tell me what you think, I hope you like it!**

Nico Tells Me The Truth

Honestly? I had almost forgotten how long it's been since Camp Half-Blood felt like a real home… since I felt like I _belonged_ again. Traveling everywhere and just dropping in once in a while, close to just once a year, and staying there for just a few hours, two days max, really got to me. I guessed that's what happened when you ran away from everything so much—you pretty much get used to all the running that when you finally stopped, everything comes crashing into you, consuming every little part of you until you've finally opened your eyes and see what you've been missing all this time.

What exactly have I been missing, or well, trying to leave behind, as I journeyed with the hunt? Well, _I don't know_, maybe… growing up, Annabeth and Percy, messing with Grover, pissing of Mr. D… and, I guess, so to speak… _Luke_.

Yes, I admit it. I missed Luke. You've probably already realized that by now though, a lot of people had, Nico being one of them. He knew too much, that kid. He wasn't really a kid anymore though, because he was _technically_ older than me, since I was stuck being fifteen and he was stuck being seventeen. Both our ages are so messed up anyway its kind of hard to tell.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah. Ever since Luke abandoned us and joined forces—and, in the end, literally joined—with Kronos, I've found myself being rather _unstable_ when it came to him. It was either I boiled with anger, feeling abandoned and betrayed by the one I… you get the picture, or I just felt the depression from the loneliness of losing him when he died, the boy who was practically the only family I really had left.

Back at camp that fateful summer, depression is what consumed me for the most part, but only because an unbidden visitor decided to show up. And that visitor—Nico di Angelo—decided to bring something that made his showing up even more infuriating; he decided to bring Cas Beckendorf, the boy who messed everything up for me. _No_, I don't love him. I don't have any romantic feelings towards him (well, I sure hoped not). How did he mess everything up then? Well, first of all, Backbiter's back and in the possession of a very capable swordsman. Second, he _tried_ to understand me, tried to get to know me. He forced himself onto me, and, like Mrs. O'Leary's annoying fleas, he stayed there. The worst part, the messed up part, was that I liked him there. I liked my flea. That sounded wrong in so many levels, but I did. He was familiar, his warmth, his smile… his scar.

But I was afraid. I didn't want to lose anymore. I was strong, I knew that, everyone knew that, but it was hard being alone. You never knew when one day you would wake up feeling like you're whole being had been ripped apart and all you wanted to do was cry until your eyes were dry. But I couldn't cry, I couldn't let anyone know. I had to keep it inside. That way, they left me alone. No unwanted questions, no awkward situations, and no (more) crying in front of people who weren't supposed to see me cry.

Well, that's what I thought.

I sat down near the shore. Ever since my encounter with Hermes, I often wandered back to it whenever I needed to clear my thoughts. I had to admit, I hoped I would find someone there, be it Hermes or not, waiting for me there because I needed them. Whenever I wandered there, I wasn't surprised to find no one there. My heart dropped a bit every time I found the shore empty, but I had gotten used to it. I usually just sat there, staring at the ocean with its breaking waves, taking in the salty breeze, messing up my already windswept hair, until I calmed down.

"Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day the daughter of the sky god crossing my domain," I heard a voice razzing me.

I turned my head a bit, and saw Percy walking over towards me. His hands were in his pockets. He was wearing a big and wrinkled Camp-Half Blood t-shirt covered with mud and… other things I'd rather not identify. His magical pen was hanging by a string around his neck, surprisingly, completely clean. Half of his face was completely covered in black dust, and his hair was sticking up everywhere as if he got singed. His teeth looked _really_ white compared to the blackness of his grubby face.

"Seaweed brain," I acknowledged, nodding curtly.

"Pinecone face," he mirrored my actions and took a seat next to me.

I crinkled my nose and moved a bit, creating a bigger space between us, "You smell gross."

"Well you smell salty," he crinkled his nose, mimicking me.

"_Salty_ is what you always smell like," I stuck my tongue out. "What happened to you Perce? You look like the Bronze Dragon swallowed you up, tried to breath fire but you clogged his esophagus so he couldn't, and then spit you out."

"That's one way to put it," he chuckled. "So what is Thalia Grace doing out near the water?"

"Just trying to clear my head," I gave him a weak smile.

"Yeah, I heard being angry all the time really clogs your brain," he teased.

"Percy," I looked at him with a stone-face. "The fact that you look like you've already been burnt to a crisp doesn't stop me from scorching you completely. So don't even try me."

"Jeez, I was just kidding!" he prodded my back lightly. "I was just trying to cheer you up."

"I don't _need_ cheering up, I need leaving alone."

"No, you don't. You've been left alone long enough."

"And that's the way I like it," I scoffed and turned away from him, staring blankly towards the horizon.

"Thals, I'm just trying to help, you don't have to bite my head off," he paused for a bit, but I could tell he was still looking at me. "Or, should I say, bite my back?"

I looked at him in disbelief. _Did he know?_

"No, what's that supposed to mean?" I spat, trying not to sound worried or guilty.

"Let me tell you a story," he sat up straighter and folded his legs into an Indian sit. "Once upon a time, in a camp far, far away, a _very_ handsome son of Poseidon was walking over to the arena to improve his already superb sword fighting skills—"

"I do hope this 'Son of Poseidon' you're talking about isn't you, because only in an alternate dimension would I call your swordsmanship 'superb'," I interrupted.

"C'mon! You know I'm better than most."

"Then I guess it's just the 'very handsome' part that isn't possible then."

"You need a bit more kindness."

"You need a bit more humility."

"Touché," he stuck his tongue out. "Anyway, he went to the arena and, lo and behold! He finds himself face to face with the blade that took the lives of many, him almost... a lot of the time. How the infamous blade fell in the hands of an unsuspecting camper? No one knows, but this son of Poseidon had a theory."

He looked at me and smirked. I held my breath.

"He suspected a certain son of Hades," he started. I felt relieved, and really grateful that _Seaweed Brain_ over here didn't catch on fast enough to find the truth. "'He had probably gotten the sword from its original owner and brought it here," he thought. "But why bring it here? He had no idea. So he ventured over to the land near the treacherous seas—"

"Look, horsey king, I've been here all day, and sorry to burst your bubble, there's nothing 'treacherous' about the water. So stop messing around with the story and just get to the point," I snapped.

"Okay, okay, jeez, just relax," he lifted his hands up in mock-surrender. "I came to find you so we could both go over to Nico and ask him. I mean, that sword's been enough trouble when Lu—um, _he _had it. I just want to stop the chaos before it starts. Get what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah… I guess we could ask Nico," I mindlessly stood up.

Percy followed my lead. "Let's go then?"

"Yeah, let's go," I nodded half-heartedly.

_What was I doing? Nico probably already knew it was me who gave it to Cas, and if he didn't already he's going to… Styx. So much for stopping the chaos before it started._

_

* * *

_

"Nico, we wanna talk to you!" Percy said as he banged on the Hades cabin door.

The Hades cabin still sent shivers down my time. Something about it was just really unsettling. Cabin Thirteen's walls were made of obsidian, and it had no windows. The steps leading onto the cabin were made out of skulls, spirits, and decaying things. I didn't even dare look at it any longer. There were torches bearing green Greek fire, creating a sort of border around the cabin.

"Oh, hey Percy, Thals, what's up?" Nico said nonchalantly as he opened the door.

"We need to talk," Percy said. "It's important."

I resisted the urge to tell Percy that it was no big deal and he was just overreacting, but I bit my tongue.

"Oh, alright then. Come in," Nico stepped aside, making way for us to enter. And through all of this, Nico did not seem frazzled, baffled, shocked, surprised… nothing! He just smiled at us! If it were me, I would have totally freaked out on Percy.

Percy stepped inside, whispering a thank you to Nico. I hesitantly followed Percy inside. When both of us had entered, Nico closed the door, engulfing the room in darkness.

"Wha—Nico, why is it so dark in here?" Percy stammered.

"Is it?" Nico chuckled.

"_Nooo_, ghost boy, it's _not_ dark, that's why I can totally see you," I said sarcastically, while rolling my eyes, but none of them probably saw it.

"I'm just kidding," Nico laughed. He clapped his hands together and three large floating orb things appeared in front of us, casting a faint, and eerie light around us.

"Can we have _proper_ light, please?" I demanded.

"Why? That's the light people see when they die, is the light of new life not enough for you?" Nico said.

"WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Percy shouted.

Nico laughed. "Yes, I'm kidding you, so don't shout. These are just, um… how do I explain this?"

"Try words," I said.

"But that's the thing, it's hard to describe with words."

"Then how do you know what these things are then?" I demanded.

"When it has something to do with the life, death, or the Underworld, I just know."

The silence was deafening.

"Oh! Yeah, these are kind of like fireflies—dead ones, so these are kind of like the ghosts of dead fireflies."

"Leave it to you to make something as simple as fireflies sound extremely creepy," I complained.

Nico chuckled. "Anyway, so what did you want to talk about?" he walked over and sat down on his bed.

"Backbiter's back," Percy deadpanned.

_Well that was redundant,_ I thought to myself.

"Oh really, who's got it now?" Nico asked, his expression still calm and unfazed.

"Cas," I said. I looked at Nico pleadingly—well, pleadingly for me, since I didn't plead. I'm Thalia Grace; I did _not_ plead.

"Oh," Nico's eyes widened.

"Nico, I know you had something to do with it," Percy took a step forward and looked down at Nico.

Nico paused for a bit and looked at me. He swallowed then stood up and looked Percy straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, so what if I did?" Nico protested.

"But why? You know how much trouble that blade's brought us in the past, why bring it back?" Percy shouted.

Nico pursed his lips and glanced at me. He looked back at Percy. "Luke's request. He saw Cas' talent and he wanted to give him his sword. He thought that if someone good used the sword this time, it would make up for everything evil it's done in the past. Also, he figured if Cas used the sword for good, it would be like he was doing the good himself. He just wanted to make up for everything he's done, and since he's dead, he thought that maybe he could do it through Cas," Nico lied casually.

My jaw dropped open.

"Oh," Percy backed away.

"You should still watch over him though," Nico added. "I know you don't want a repeat of what happened before. You could teach him how to use it right, since you're number two in the camp's best swordfighters," Nico schmoozed.

"And you did say you wanted to stop the chaos before it actually stared," I told Percy. "I'm pretty sure it works the same way," I smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense," Percy nodded mindlessly. He was probably lost in his thoughts of what to do with Cas and Backbiter.

"He's probably at the arena practicing right now. That's all he ever does—he skips out on every other activity. You could give him some tips and mentor him, and stuff," I suggested.

"Yeah! I'm a good mentor, right?" Percy grinned.

"The best," Nico stifled his laughter.

"Okay then, I'm going to the arena. I'll see you guys later!" Percy traipsed out of the room, saying, "Wait till I tell Annabeth about this!"

Nico looked at me with an explain-or-I'm-telling-Percy-the-truth expression.

"Hermes gave it to me," I said. "I found it on top of my bed the other day. So, I'm not sure if I should've given it away, but Cas appeared right when I was looking at it, and well, I panicked," I grinned.

"Right," he chuckled.

"Thanks for lying for me," I said.

He laughed. "You're welcome, but I didn't lie."

"What? But it was Hermes—"

Nico shrugged. "He had to get it to Cas somehow, didn't he? I mean, he couldn't have just appeared as the ghost of Luke and give him the sword and expect him to use it. Odds are, Cas would think it was a cursed blade and never even touch it. Then no one will ever touch it. Then it'd become the cursed sword of Camp Half-Blood and future campers will make scary campfire stories about it," Nico laughed.

He sat back down on his bed and patted the spot beside him. I complied and sat down.

"So Luke really wanted to live through Cas?" I asked.

Nico chuckled. "You could say that."

I looked at him suspiciously. "You're not telling me something,"

"I'm not telling you a lot of something's."

"And why is that?"

He shrugged. "I don't believe that honesty is the best policy. It hurts people more than lies do most of the time."

"So you're lying to me?"

"More or less."

"I don't like it when people lie to me," I snapped.

"I know you don't."

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"The truth."

"Aha," he laughed. "Where do I start?"

"Maybe the beginning?"

He looked me in the eyes. "Do you even know where the beginning starts?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment. I was just about to open my mouth and say 'no' when something popped in my head. The question I've been meaning to ask him for the longest time.

"How did you become immortal?"

He laughed. "Well that question's like… five years overdue."

"Just answer it."

He fidgeted a bit. "I cheated death."

I let out a small yelp. "Nico, you of all people should know cheating death doesn't end well, remember our little run in with Sisyphus?"

"I didn't cheat it _that_ way, I wasn't supposed to die."

"Then how did you cheat death? You saved someone else who was supposed to die?" I laughed.

"Ha-ha, just keep laughing, but that's _exactly_ what I did."

I fell silent. "What?"

"I saved someone who was supposed to die. I gave him another chance to live—but illegally, so now that person I saved is a walking time bomb."

"So that's how you became immortal?"

"No, that was my first attempt at it."

"You cheated death _twice_?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, I had to. I accidentally split the original soul into two—"

"You WHAT?"

"Stop shouting," he begged. "I accidentally split the soul I was supposed to save into two, and only one of those souls got the approval to be reborn since I made a mistake with the first one."

"So you got it right the second time and became immortal for it?"

"Yeah, that and being able to split a soul without completely severing it," he chuckled nervously. "Apparently the gods were impressed by it."

"That's just sick," I shook my head.

"I know," he frowned.

I bit my lip. "Whose soul did you use?"

Nico's gaze averted from my eyes. He stared at his hands and watched as the tiny light danced on top of it.

"Make a lucky guess," he whispered.

My eyes widened and I stopped breathing.

_He can't possibly be talking about—_

"Luke," I croaked.

He looked at me; his eyes were brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I froze. I watched as Nico choked back his tears and looked at me pleadingly. I didn't even stir when I felt a single tear fall, or when Nico wiped it off my cheek.

"Who are they?"

"What?" Nico stammered, surprised that I suddenly spoke.

"Who are they?"

He pursed his lips, "Make another lucky guess."

I breathed in. "I'm pretty sure Cas is one of them."

He nodded.

"Which one is he? First or second?"

"Second."

"Then who's the first one?"

Nico looked away. "It's weird," he whispered. "How that one question seemed to get you answers to every other question you've been bugging me about."

I closed my eyes. Everything was so hard to take in. I couldn't understand it. Everything he was telling me made everything so clear, and yet, so surreal. Nico was right. Lies hurt less than the truth, because lies didn't come crashing down on me and made me feel like I was drowning. I tried putting everything together. If Cas was the second attempt, the successful one, then…

The truth hit me with such an impact it hurt. It felt like being hit by a bus, then getting ricocheted off it and taking flight, only to get hit by a plane passing by, then crashing back on the ground so hard you could hear your bones breaking.

I hated the truth. The truth was preventing me from saying everything I wanted to say... well, everything except for one word, one name. The one name I uttered that made me feel like Tartarus was paradise.

"Alecs."

**A/N: thanks again to those who reviewed and supported this story all the way! reviews and ideas are always welcome (: TEN CHAPTERS! can you believe it? because I`m still in shock I got this far! whoooo!**


	11. The Dead Haunt My Dreams

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: thank you soo much to my wonderful beta, Artemis's Lieutenant, for being awesome and supporting me all the way! I hope this story will keep you hooked til the very end (:**

**sorry for the wait! this chapter is kind of short, but it explains a lot of what's happening, just so you can keep up with everything! I hope you like it! tell me what you think [:**

The Dead Haunt My Dreams

"You have every right to want to skin me alive."

Nico's pleads snapped me out of my reverie.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea," I said, nodding my head in agreement. "Not painful enough though. I need something more mutilating."

"Ripping my skin right off without any anesthesia isn't enough? How much more morbid can it get?" Nico replied nervously, probably trying to picture several horrible punishments that I would try on him.

"You tell me, Dead Boy," I spat.

He chuckled nervously, but didn't give me an answer. I knew he thought of something, but was probably just afraid to say it because I might've tried it on him. I didn't blame him though—after everything that happened, I probably would have.

We both fell silent. Then a thought crossed my mind.

"Do they know?" I asked Nico.

"Does who know what?" he asked.

"Do Alecs and Cas know who they are?" I deadpanned.

"Cas doesn't, but Alecs probably figured it out by now. He told you about his dreams right?"

"Just the one with Luke and me getting our pictures taken," I said. "You found the picture. I didn't know he kept it."

Nico smiled warmly at me. I knew he was just trying to get me in a better mood. Kudos to him for trying, I guess. "That was the only dream Alecs told you about?"

"Well… yeah. Wait—there were more?" I exclaimed.

"Of course there were more," Nico said as if I had asked the most ridiculous question ever. "He was dreaming nonstop, even while he was awake. He dreamed about _everything_. I asked you if he was acting differently, remember? I wanted to see if you noticed. He's been in this perpetual dream state since Cas arrived."

"What you're saying is…" I said, trying to put everything together. "Alecs has been dreaming about every single one of Luke's memories—"

"Not exactly. He dreams about his childhood lucidly, but from ten years old and on it becomes blurry. He's the young part of Luke's soul, so he's the manifestation of Luke's childhood."

"Okay," I replied. "So he's been remembering this ever since Cas arrived, right?"

"Yup."

"So Cas' presence kind of triggered the memories?"

"Right again."

"But… why?" I asked. My brain was trying to piece everything together, but it seemed like one jigsaw puzzle I could never finish. There were too many missing pieces.

Nico shrugged. "Don't know."

Of course I knew he was lying, but I didn't want to push it any more—not with Nico, but myself. I didn't know how much more I could take until I broke down completely.

"It'll be clear to you when you cross the border between reality and hallucinations," Nico said, his voice nearly just an audible whisper.

I didn't ask him what he meant. I figured I would just wait and find out when the time came. So after that, I just left.

Like always, I had no idea where in Hades I was going, but I didn't care. I just kept walking. Whenever I saw someone, I would sprint so fast I could've sworn I disappeared for a moment. I didn't want anyone to see me—to see my tears. I couldn't let them see my weaknesses.

At times like that, there was only one place I could go, knowing for sure that no one else would dare take one step inside.

I stepped into my old cabin, taking in the unused demeanor of the room, the dust, and the smell of my old lifestyle. I plopped myself on the bed, automatically glancing at the clock with my cartoon father on it. I couldn't see him. Everything was just a horrible blur through all my tears.

I felt horrible.

I lay down on my bed, slowly reclining until I felt the soft sheets touch my skin. They were really cold. I stared at the marble ceilings, and saw the detailed paintings of my father in the clouds on it. The thunderbolts looked so real. To an extent, they probably were.

I grabbed the sheets from under me and pulled them, letting myself get taken by the movement to get wrapped in sheets but not fall off. I buried my face in a huge wrinkled crease in the covers, gathering up more of the blanket that was touching the floor and making the crease a soft, giant lump. I slid the first pillow I grabbed under the lump and rested my cheek back onto it. The warmth was so comforting.

Feeling my breathing relax, I slowly closed my eyes and let myself get taken by the warmth, the blankets, and the memories. As soon as my eyes snapped shut, flashbacks of everything that happened since that faithful H-Day up till today appeared in my mind. Hades, even memories from before that seemed to connect to recent events found a way in my flashbacks. Memories that made me remember why I joined the hunt in the first place.

I remembered the first time I met Alecs, and how we developed our brother-sister bond throughout the years. How I watched him grow up, and how it took him a while to realize I never aged. How it broke my heart to find out that his innocent self had troubles burdening him too—heavier burdens than most too. I wondered what it meant to have an "illegal" soul. Alecs hadn't really ever done anything _seriously_ illegal in his life!

The last memory I remembered was that afternoon I spent with Cas. I remembered how much his last name rang a million bells but that I couldn't put my finger on why, how he told me about his past and I told him about my barely spoken one. Then I cursed myself. I can't believe I forgot to ask Nico another important question—how did Cas know my last name? Nico must've told him, but still, why…

* * *

One look at the several eerie lights floating around everywhere immediately told me where I was. I looked around for Nico, but he was nowhere in sight. He left me to wander the Underworld _alone_! I never wanted to kill him more.

"Damn it!" I heard a familiar voice cuss. I spun around to shout at him, when Nico passed by me—no, _through_ me. It was like I was a hologram or something. Or maybe Nico was one?

Nico was sweating bullets, and he was huffing, as he looked around frantically. He was wearing a black jacket with its hood up. He ruffled the ball of blankets he was carrying, revealing a baby boy, who looked very pallid and frail. The baby boy coughed and looked up at Nico, his eyes filled with small tears and his lips curled into either a half-hearted smile or the shape your mouth became when you were nauseated.

"I'm really sorry about this," Nico whispered to the baby. He set the baby down. From his pocket, he took out a small pink pearl, put it next to his mouth and whispered, cracked it slightly, then set it into the baby's hand. The baby got excited, giggled, and then crushed the pearl. He was then engulfed in a light pink smoke, before disappearing.

"I really messed up this time," Nico cried as he raked his hands through his hair, opting to pull it all off.

I was just about to reach out to holographic Nico once more when I heard a low, husky voice speak from behind me. I turn around and find myself face-to-face with a face I never thought I would be glad to see.

Happy, and ironically enough, alive, Charles Beckendorf was standing in front of me, tall, buff and proud. I tried to wave at him, but he too just passed through me. The Underworld is such a frustrating place.

Following him, with silk skin and hair that flowed melodiously with the breeze, was Silena Beauregard. She slipped her hand in Beckendorf's after she, also, passed through me.

If I could touch them and if they could feel me right now, I would've hit them in the head a billion times.

"Nico," Beckendorf spoke.

_Nico AGAIN?_ I shouted in my mind. Nico should've won an award for being the sneakiest (and most annoying) person to have ever walked the world, both over _and_ under.

"I'm really sorry for asking you both to leave Elysium," Nico sounded close to tears. "But I really need your help. It's just for a while anyway."

Nico, who was wearing a thick black coat, revealed another pile of blankets from under his folded arms, slowly rummaging through its creases. Hidden beneath all the blankets, was another baby boy. This time, the baby wasn't pale; he had rosy cheeks and a smile on his face.

"Is that—" Silena stammered.

"Before you say anything," Nico exclaimed. "This isn't mine. This is… well… this is Luke." He handed the baby over to Silena, who took him gingerly in her arms.

"A baby boy is _not_ a 'this'," Silena admonished.

Nico waved his hand dismissively.

"So this baby is Luke? Luke _Castellan_?" Beckendorf gawked.

"I didn't know there were other Lukes worth rescuing," Nico said sarcastically.

"What did you need us for? Babysitting?" Silena laughed.

"Actually…" Nico muttered. "I need you both to raise him, until he's old enough to bring to Hermes, and then Camp Half-Blood."

"Where are we supposed to raise him? Elysium?" Beckendorf asked suspiciously.

"Well…" Nico said, his voice high-pitched. "It cost me an arm and a leg to convince my Father, but he finally agreed to it. You'll just have to tell him Elysium is Los Angeles though. He can _not_ know he's in the Underworld."

"Poor kid," Beckendorf muttered. "What's his name?"

Nico shrugged. "It's up to you. You're his 'parents.'"

"Think fast, Daughter of Zeus."

A voice whispered to me as a huge breeze swept me away and spun me till I was too dizzy to stand.

I kept my eyes closed, and I sat perfectly still on the ground.

"Who are you?" I spoke with as much swagger as I could conjure.

"You know who I am, I don't need to tell you," they said.

"Oh really now?" I said, smirking.

The voice remained silent.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

"Don't you dare open your eyes!"

I snapped my eyes shut. I caught a glimpse of who the familiar voice was, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Red hair… that annoyingly pink jacket… dare… _dare…_

"Rachel?" I asked with disbelief.

"I am the Oracle of Delphi, and I am here to warn you," she said. "He doesn't have much time anymore. The two pieces of a soul can't be kept away forever. Cherish them before you lose them forever."

At this I opened my eyes, but Rachel wasn't in front of me. In fact, no one was in front of me. I was back in my cabin, hugging the pillow and blankets, hidden comfortably underneath the covers.

"Was that a prophecy?" I muttered to myself as I dug my head deeper into the covers. "Because it sure as Hades didn't rhyme."

**A/N: I'm addicted to NeverShoutNever! [: hahahaha. please review and tell me what you think!**

**ps. it was my birthday [: or is, depending on where you are. on the 18th of September, I celebrated the day in which I was given life.  
**


	12. Annabeth Helps Me Remember

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.**

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry. I haven't updated in so long. School's so annoying, it gets in the way and drains me. I miss it though. The feeling of finishing a new chapter then uploading it for all of you to read :) I'm really sorry if this chapter is short and kind of corny. It's a filler. I promise that my next update will be a lot longer and filled with more things. I still have to make Thalia realize a few things until I can move on to more twists. I have to give her a break too, sometimes, right? It's hard to be a heroine. You have to worry about EVERYTHING! Hahaha.**

**If the story's a bit rusty, feel free to reread ;) Ideas are always welcome. And feel free to rant about me being gone for so long... again, I'm REALLY sorry! It's Christmas now, though, so I'm on break and I'll probably be able to write some more :)**

**AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL BY THE WAY! [:**

Annabeth Helps Me Remember

When I finally decided to get up from my bed, I made my way to my old pine tree. I needed some serious reflecting to do, which meant I needed some alone time so I could finally hear myself think. But if a few pleasant surprises stopped by, I wouldn't tell them to go away… well that actually depended on how "pleasant" the surprise was.

I leaned on the trunk of my pine tree, the Golden Fleece hanging just a short distance away from me, and the dragon slumbering about a foot away from us. I really wondered how the dragon was supposed to _protect_ the fleece if it was asleep about… 97% of the time. I was pretty sure any thief wouldn't wait for the 3% it was awake to execute.

I heard the leaves rustling just above me, and even smell a faint scent of strawberries—an illusion the Mist probably created to match the whole "strawberry ranch" thing the camp was going for. I was just about to drift away when I heard a faint cuss and felt a slight thud rumble the tree.

"Who's there?" I whined, not even bothering to open my eyes.

"Nobody. Nobody's here," the voice whispered back, holding back snickers.

"Gods," I chuckled. "Annabeth?" I made a lucky guess.

"Where you got 'Annabeth' from 'Nobody' is beyond me," she laughed. "Hi Thals," she sat down beside me. "You mind if I—"

"Not at all," I interrupted. I slowly opened my eyes and turned to face her. "How'd you know I was here?"

She shrugged. "I had a feeling."

"D'you check everywhere else I might've been and since I wasn't anywhere there you wandered here, hoping this is where I was?" I raised my eyebrows.

She chuckled. "You should just stop asking questions if you know the answers anyway."

"I like it when people admit it when I'm right. It makes me feel accomplished—and all high and mighty," I raised my chin higher jokingly.

"When _don't_ you feel like that, Daughter of Zeus?" she stuck her tongue out.

"So what's up?" I asked awkwardly. I haven't talked to Annabeth in so long I kind of forgot how it was like to start a conversation with her.

"_You_," she said sternly. "Something's up with _you_, and you're not telling me about it. So you better start explaining or else."

"Whoa—whoa—whoa," I raised my hands in mock surrender, with a huge grin on my face. "Since when did you become so… explosive?"

"Since Percy Jackson became my boyfriend," she rolled her eyes jokingly and slightly shook her head.

I laughed. "Anyway, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"If you haven't already realized… Luke's been dead for ten years," Annabeth said, stone-faced.

"Way to be subtle, Annabeth," I muttered. "And yeah, I realized."

"I'm sorry we never had a chance to talk about it—or talk all that much, for that matter—since you got back," Annabeth muttered. "How are you?"

"Alright, I've been better," I replied. "I just have a lot of things in my mind. I hate being a teenager," I complained.

"I figured you'd be used to it since you've been fifteen for the gods know how long," she laughed. "You know, up till today, I'm still pretty surprised you joined the Hunt."

I stuck my tongue out. What else was I supposed to say?

"Did you do it to get over Luke?" she asked.

"Well you sure know how to ease into a question," I joked. "Maybe, it's been so long, I've forgotten. I guess I… I thought I could escape him. I'm _far_ from that though—REALLY far."

"Really? Thals, he's dead. And he's never coming back."

"Actually he's—" I choked.

"Yes?"

"He… yeah, he's dead…" I whispered. I couldn't tell her. I couldn't tell her about Cas… about Alecs. I couldn't. I couldn't…

"I know how much he means to you. He'll mean more to you than he'll ever mean to me. I mean, with everything you've been through together," she turned around to face me, and placed her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes stared right into mine. They were dead serious. "But you have to move on. Ten years is too much. You'll have your memories… you'll have those forever, but you have to remember that there's more to life than just the past. That's why the gods gave us tomorrow, so we can live it."

I bit my lip and felt a tear trickle down my cheek. I quickly looked away and wiped them, sniffling a bit. I glanced up to see her eyes soften, and slowly lean it to embrace me.

"I'm sorry. I just… I worry about you sometimes," she whispered.

I stayed quiet.

"I miss him too sometimes," she muttered. "I just don't admit it."

"I bet you admit it more than I do," I laughed lightly.

"That's another thing we have to work on," Annabeth immediately pulled back and looked at me with arched eyebrows. "You have to stop holding things in. What if you explode and cause some apocalyptic storm or something? And with the way you snap… damn," she laughed.

"One problem at a time, Annabeth," I winked.

* * *

When I finally managed to escape Annabeth's clutches, I locked myself inside my cabin once again. I buried myself in my sheets and stared at the floor, humming "21 Guns" quietly to myself. When I accomplished nothing, I got up from my bed, ruffled my hair furiously, and slowly stepped out of my bed. I felt something poke the heel of my foot slightly, so I recoiled and reached under my bed. I felt a hard piece of paper on my fingertips, and I grabbed it.

I sighed and smiled slightly as I stared at what I found. It was a picture of Alecs and me about two summers ago when I visited. I was about half a head taller than him then, and he still had his bright orange braces.

I held the picture closer to my face and crossed my legs into an Indian sit on the bed. It was weird how these random pictures meant so much to me. I never knew they would. I never knew I'd be in this kind of situation.

It was funny, how life always seemed to surprise me, and I was the demigod daughter of Zeus in the Hunt—_very _few things surprised me.

I slowly got up from my bed again. I placed the picture on my old desk, wiping the dust from its surface before doing so.

_ I should really clean this place one of these days._ I laughed as the thought popped in my head.

I walked over to my closet, took out an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a pair of faded jeans and my old favorite black sneakers. As I put on the shirt, I took in the faint smell of strawberries and grass, and smile. I folded up the sleeves, and put on the jeans and just slip on the sneakers. The looseness of my clothes finally made me remember what it was like to be _home_.

Then it hit me. What I've been missing all this time.

I ran out of my cabin, with a huge grin on my face, only to bump into someone and black out for a moment.

"Whoa, Thals, I'm sorry," a voice said.

I shook my head and smiled once again. "Percy!" I hugged him.

"Annabeth told me—"

"Yeah, I know what Annabeth told you," I smiled.

I realized; I haven't been treating Camp Half-Blood like home. I needed to embrace the time I have and worry about now, instead of the future. I needed to _live_ and not worry about what I can't control, and just make what I can how I want it to be.

"Bet I can _still_ beat you at a sword fight?" I looked at Percy and raised one eyebrow mischievously.

He smirked back, "Bring it on, Pinecone face."

* * *

Nico sat in the middle of the forest, the darkness engulfing him. His dark eyes stared intently at a clock sitting on the middle of his palm, sparkling slightly under the moonlight.

He leaned back and lay down, the grass tickling his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. A breeze blew, whispering his words back to him. He snapped his eyes shut, clutching the clock in his hands tightly, trying to destroy it. Time was passing by too fast. He wanted to stop it. He wanted it all to stop. He couldn't take it anymore. _She couldn't take any more._

He sat back up, his eyes still shut. He raised his head up and whispered, "I'm sorry," once more. This time, no one whispered back.

He opened his eyes, sat back up, and threw the clock into the darkness, shaking furiously. He hugged his knees and buried his head in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he whispered endlessly.

He heard heavy breathing near him. He looked up and saw the transparent silhouettes of Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard staring down at him.

"I'm sory," he whispered to them.

They smiled.

"She'll never forgive me," he whispered. "I destroyed her. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Silena bent down and kissed his forehead before disappearing. Beckondorf patted his back and smiled, "You'll fix this, kiddo." He dropped the clock on the ground in front of him and disappeared.

Nico picked up the clock once again, biting his lower lip as he did so. He turned it around, tracing his fingertips on the message embedded at the back.

_It's never too late to be brand new._

_-Hermes_

He stood up once more, clutching the clock on his hand even tighter. "I'm sorry," he whispered once more, dropping the clock back on the ground and disappearing into the darkness.

**A/N: Review and tell me what you think! :) Again, I'm really sorry for not updating in so long. I will try to update as soon as I can, though I don't know how soon "soon" will be :D**

**And I hope the last part wasn't so confusing. It sort of in 3rd person at the end, not Thalia's POV. :) The rest of the story will progress normally (in Thalia's POV) though.**


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